The old Alkaloid factory chimney was built in 1936 to serve the facility for the extraction and processing of alkaloids from Macedonian poppy. Its original function came to an end in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the old coal-fired boilers were decommissioned.

In the first half of the 1970s, the Alkaloid logo sign was installed on the chimney. This transformed a once-functional element of the factory into a distinctive visual landmark which, over the decades, became one of the company’s most recognisable symbols.

As part of the effort to preserve this piece of industrial heritage, in 2012 the Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology (IZIIS) developed a project that provided the basis for the comprehensive rehabilitation and structural strengthening of the 34 meters high chimney.

During the rehabilitation, the original logo sign was carefully removed from the chimney and preserved, while a new sign was installed in its place.

Today, the original logo sign has a new and distinguished place at the entrance to Alkaloid’s site in Avtokomanda. It has been incorporated into an art installation specially conceived and created by renowned Macedonian artist Satja Grabul, grandson of Jordan and Iskra Grabul, the creators of the Krushevo “Makedonium”. After more than five decades at the top of the factory chimney, the sign has thus found a new place within the company’s surroundings, while remaining an authentic part of Alkaloid’s history and a tangible symbol of its continuity.

Ninety years after the company was founded, the art installation reflects Alkaloid’s enduring respect for its roots and its commitment to preserving the valuable traces of its past for generations to come.