Capital of the Republic of Macedonia and the country’s largest economic, cultural and academic centre, Skopje lies on the river Vardar, on a major route between Central Europe and the southern Balkans. Its history dates back to the 3rd Century BC. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I was born nearby in 483. Unfortunately, the town was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1963, and was subsequently rebuilt. Several architectural monuments survived, including the fortress (Kale), the stone bridge built at the order of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet III the Conqueror, the Mustafa Pasha Mosque, and the Church of St. Panteleimon in nearby Nerezi, with its magnificent 12th-Century frescoes.