1963 Skopje earthquake

The Skopje earthquake struck the capital of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, then in Yugoslavia, in the early morning, and destroyed the large majority of the city's buildings, killing more than a thousand people and leaving a large part of the population homeless. The shock was of moderate magnitude but very damaging because it was shallow, and many buildings were old or poorly built. The response was an international effort of aid and rebuilding that included countries from both sides of the Cold War. The United Nations helped draw up a reconstruction plan, with a design by the Japanese architect Kenzo Tange, and the city became a symbol of international solidarity.

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