Galleon

A bid to remove three faux galleons erected in the Vardar river a decade ago has run aground, leaving behind an unsightly reminder of the megalomania of a fugitive former PM.

Old-style single-masted boats are being built for tourism purposes at a historic dock in the Black Sea province of Bartın, where galleys and galleons were built for the Ottoman navy after the 1500s, for the first time in 50 years.

One of the fake galleons that were one of the most ridiculed features of the former government's faux-historic Skopje 2014 revamp of the capital is to be removed by mid-April on the order of the city authorities.

The new Mayor of Skopje, Petre Silegov, who was elected in October, has said he has ordered the removal of three imitation galleons from the Vardar river - installed by the previous government - for safety reasons.

"The 'ships' hinder the normal water flow and, if the water level rises, it could result in spillage," Silegov told TV 24.