Old train station earthquake ruin, Skopje

Earthquake ruin of Skopje train station - darkometer rating : 4 - The remainder of what used to be Skopje 's main train station until the disastrous earthquake of 1963 caused part of the building to collapse. The rest was left standing as a memorial. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: the Skopje earthquake of 1963 was one of the major tragedies in Yugoslav and indeed European history. It struck at 5:17 in the morning of 26 July. The tremor, whose epicentre was directly under the main square and which measured more than 6 on the Richter scale (figures available usually range between 6.1 and 6.9) destroyed large parts of the city, between 40 and 80 %, depending on who you believe. Over 1000 people were killed, and tens of thousands made homeless, according to some sources possibly even as many as 200,000. Amongst the architectural casualties were a hotel, the Army House and the grand bank building on the central square, which is now called Macedonia (Makedonja) Square and is much wider than it used to be precisely because of these lost buildings that were not reconstructed. The city's appearance was completely changed by the earthquake and through the massive reconstruction in the aftermath, which gave Skopje much of its modern appearance ... although currently more construction efforts are changing the face of the city once again – see under Skopje in general. The city's principal landmark, the old Stone Bridge, survived intact, but was later altered (disfigured even) and has only recently undergone refurbishment to make it look more like the original.