1963 Skopje earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1963 Skopje earthquake was an 6.1 moment magnitude earthquake
which occurred in Skopje
, SR Macedonia (present-day Republic of Macedonia
) then part of the SFR Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963 which killed over 1,070 people, injured between 3,000 and 4,000 and left more than 200,000 people homeless. About 80 percent of the city was destroyed.
(equivalent to 6.9 on the Richter scale), occurred on July 26, 1963 at 4:17 am
UTC (5:17 am local time) in Skopje
, Socialist Republic of Macedonia
, then part of SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Macedonia
). The tremor lasted for 20 seconds and was felt mostly along the Vardar River Valley. There were also smaller aftershocks until 5:43.
place relief
for Skopje on their list of agendas. Relief, in the form of money, medical, engineering and building teams and supplies was offered from 78 countries. The famous artist Pablo Picasso
donated his painting Head of a Woman (1963), which was exhibited in the new post-earthquake Museum of Contemporary Arthttp://www.msuskopje.org.mk/?sid=410&lid=1 http://portal.unesco.org/es/ev.php-URL_ID=27935&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/instInfo/inst/2740 in Skopje.
In 1965, Kenzo Tange
was asked by the United Nations
to enter a limited competition for the redevelopment of Skopje
, after which Tange won 60% of the prize while the Yugoslav team won the remaining 40%. However, Tange's plan for Skopje (one of his major works) remains partly implemented, namely the New Skopje Railway Station and the so-called City Wall.
, then-president of Yugoslavia, sent a message of condolences to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia
:
Alberto Moravia
, one of the leading Italian novelists:
Jean-Paul Sartre
, one of the leading figures of the French philosophy and literature:
.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
which occurred in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, SR Macedonia (present-day Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
) then part of the SFR Yugoslavia, on July 26, 1963 which killed over 1,070 people, injured between 3,000 and 4,000 and left more than 200,000 people homeless. About 80 percent of the city was destroyed.
Facts
The earthquake, which measured 6.1 on the moment magnitude scaleMoment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
(equivalent to 6.9 on the Richter scale), occurred on July 26, 1963 at 4:17 am
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
UTC (5:17 am local time) in Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, Socialist Republic of Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, then part of SFR Yugoslavia (present-day Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
). The tremor lasted for 20 seconds and was felt mostly along the Vardar River Valley. There were also smaller aftershocks until 5:43.
Aftermath
Within days after the earthquake took place, 35 nations requested that the United Nations General AssemblyUnited Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
place relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
for Skopje on their list of agendas. Relief, in the form of money, medical, engineering and building teams and supplies was offered from 78 countries. The famous artist Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
donated his painting Head of a Woman (1963), which was exhibited in the new post-earthquake Museum of Contemporary Arthttp://www.msuskopje.org.mk/?sid=410&lid=1 http://portal.unesco.org/es/ev.php-URL_ID=27935&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/instInfo/inst/2740 in Skopje.
In 1965, Kenzo Tange
Kenzo Tange
was a Japanese architect, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed major buildings on five continents. Tange was also an influential protagonist of...
was asked by the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to enter a limited competition for the redevelopment of Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, after which Tange won 60% of the prize while the Yugoslav team won the remaining 40%. However, Tange's plan for Skopje (one of his major works) remains partly implemented, namely the New Skopje Railway Station and the so-called City Wall.
Quotes
Following the earthquake, Josip Broz TitoJosip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
, then-president of Yugoslavia, sent a message of condolences to the Socialist Republic of Macedonia
Socialist Republic of Macedonia
The Socialist Republic of Macedonia was a socialist state that was a constituent country of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
:
Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia
Alberto Moravia, born Alberto Pincherle was an Italian novelist and journalist. His novels explored matters of modern sexuality, social alienation, and existentialism....
, one of the leading Italian novelists:
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
, one of the leading figures of the French philosophy and literature:
.
See also
- List of earthquakes
- History of the Republic of MacedoniaHistory of the Republic of Macedonia- Ancient period :In antiquity, most of the territory that is now the Republic of Macedonia was included in the kingdom of Paeonia, which was populated by the Paeonians, a people of Thracian origins, but also parts of ancient Illyria and Dardania, inhabited by various Illyrian peoples, and...
- Skoplje '63Skoplje '63Skoplje '63 is a 1964 Yugoslavian documentary film directed by Veljko Bulajić about the 1963 Skopje earthquake. It was screened at the 1964 Cannes Film Festival, but wasn't entered into the main competition...
, a 1964 documentary about the earthquake - Social Vulnerability to Natural Disasters: A Study of Skopje, Macedonia