Today marks 63 years since the devastating earthquake that struck Skopje on July 26, 1963, claiming the lives of 1,070 residents and injuring about 3,000 others.
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This catastrophe is known as one of the darkest moments in Skopje’s history, but it also served as a test of international solidarity, which mobilized to support the community in reconstruction.
The main shock was recorded at 5:17 a.m., with weaker tremors continuing until 5:43 a.m. As a result, 15,800 homes collapsed completely, 28,000 others were damaged, and over 200,000 people were left homeless.
Immediately after the tragedy, the International Red Cross called on all organizations to collect food, while the Inter-Parliamentary Union recommended that parliaments and governments worldwide contribute to Skopje’s recovery.
The humanitarian initiative spread to many states, where fundraising campaigns began. The United Nations also took concrete actions to offer long-term support to the destroyed city.
On September 23, 1963, representatives from 35 countries requested that the General Assembly include measures related to the Skopje earthquake on its agenda. Four days later, on September 27, the Assembly prioritized international action to assist Skopje.
The culmination of this movement came on October 14, when the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution on aid to the Yugoslav Government during the reconstruction process. In that historic debate, speeches were heard from representatives of more than 20 countries from all continents, and this date was recorded in the United Nations archives as Skopje Day.
Throughout the centuries, Skopje has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. The ancient city of Scupi, which lay between the villages of Zlokuqan and Bardovc and served as the metropolis of the province of Dardania, was completely wiped off the face of the earth by an earthquake in 518. At that time, tremors reached an intensity of 10-11 degrees on the Mercalli scale and destroyed 24 civic fortresses in the region of Dardania, cracking the ground and causing rock masses to roll down from the hills. Later, Skopje rose on its current location.
Another catastrophic earthquake hit the city in 1555, with an intensity of about 10 degrees, leaving it in ruins for the second time.
The third major destruction occurred exactly 63 years ago, on July 26, 1963, when Skopje was shaken by an earthquake of magnitude nine on the Mercalli scale, or six on the Richter scale, with its epicenter in “Macedonia” Square.
