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At the beginning of November
1962, because of several days of torrential rain and unregulated
riverbanks, the Vardar river suddenly flooded
Skopje
and it's
surroundings. About 4,500 hectares of land and 5,000 family
houses were flooded.
 Nobody
expected that 8 months later another disaster, even bigger and
more dangerous, would strike. An earthquake. July 26th, 1963. An
earthquake unrecorded by more recent chronicles of this city,
accustomed to peril and suffering. The city was leveled, paralyzed,
almost wiped from the face of the earth. Only a few seconds were
enough to turn the entire city into ruins. But the greatest
damage was the irreparable loss of 1,066 human lives. More than
3,300 inhabitants of Skopje were lightly or badly wounded. Only
3 minutes after the first came another earthquake of the same
intensity (8.5 degrees of the Mercali scale), followed by
hundreds of tremors of smaller intensity. It
 was that dark
Friday, of July 26th, 1963. Clocks stopped with their mechanisms
pointing to the fatal 5 o'clock and 17 minutes AM, marking the
longest day in the history of this city. On that morning seismologists
all around the world recorded an earthquake whose epicenter was in
Skopje. During those moments the inhabitants of
Skopje lived through the most terrible experience. Their city
was passing through a catastrophe of incomparable proportions.
The fury of the elements which mercilessly crashed down with
their dance of death destroyed almost everything of value in
Skopje, leaving only wounds which needed years to heal.
Of the thirty or so
monuments that were damaged, Fortress Kale, Suli Ann, Bezisten,
the archaeological Museum, the National Bank, cinemas and many
buildings, the Army Club (built 1926-1929), the Railway Station
and many other completely ruined. As can bee seen from the
picture there is the army Club by the river Vardar, opposite of
it, it's the National Bank. On the north side of Vardar there
the National theatre (between the Stone Bridge and the smaller
and tiny one). Also on the picture is visible in the left-down
corner, the Assembly of Macedonia, that survived the 1963
earthquake.
 
"Left: Representatives of the
International Community visiting the destroyed Skopje;
Right: The Army House before the fatal 5:17 AM on July 26th 1963"
The Old Railway station
building was designed and built in the period
1938-1940,
by the Serbian architect Gavrilović. During the
1963 earthquake was partly damaged,
and today it's remains are representing a monument of that
catastrophe of the city. Since 1970 in it, is situated the
Museum of the City of Skopje, instituted in 1949. It was adapted into a
museum and now it engages 4000 m2; 2500 m2 are planned for the
permanent display (in a process of realization) and 800 m2 are
used as a gallery for temporary exhibitions.
"The Old Railway Station, before 5:17 AM 1963"
"The National Theatre, before 1963"
  The
following annexes function within the Museum: "The Museum of the
Old Market of Skopje", The Memorial Museum in vil. Količani, The
Memorial House of the County Committee of the Communistic Party
of Yugoslavia for Macedonia and the "Illegal Workshops 1941-45".
Left: "The Square Sloboda"
Right: "The National Bank
building, before the 1963 catastrophic earthquake (situated
opposite of the army house, in downtown Skopje)"
The square Sloboda, was one
of the most beautiful parts of the old city. Almost all
significant object were ruined by the earthquake. Only one of
them remained (Workers House) and can be seen today as a
discothèque. Today there is a street called, Dimitrija Čupovski
passing through it's circle today, that doesn't exist today. The
building seen at the left survived the earthquake, and today
there is a cafe-bar called "Piazza Libertas" which means Square
Sloboda (Freedom) to remind of this well known part of old
Skopje. [upper left picture]
"The Square Sloboda in the
middle of the 1950's"
"The National Theatre from another point of view, before 1963"
The Yugoslav National Army
was the first to send out a call for help to all Yugoslav centers. That morning several thousands of soldiers began the
most difficult but also the most glorious struggle in the peaceful
time, a fight against the ruins to save trapped
people. Society did not forget these peacetime heroes. 590 of
them were later awarded medals from the President of the
Republic, Josip Broz - Tito. While the earth was still trembling
and nobody knew whether another earthquake was to strike,
President Tito arrived in the ruined city. Deeply moved by what
he saw, Tito said: "Skopje has endured a terrible catastrophe, but the city will be rebuilt with the help of the
whole society, it will become a symbol of brotherhood and unity,
of Yugoslav and world-wide solidarity". These words,
pronounced on July 27th, 1963, came true. It is enough to spend
only on day in the city on the Vardar to see that is so. New
about the earthquake was released through the ether very
quickly. On that very same day the sky over Skopje was too small
to accept all the aircrafts bringing aid. In those first moments
about 80 countries sent help to the city of Skopje, which thus
really became a symbol of Yugoslav and world-wide solidarity.
"Consequences of the earthquake - homeless" |
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