To mark the anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that struck Skopje in 1963, the City is organising a free panoramic tour - a walk through the city as it was before that July day changed everything. Not a museum behind glass, but a ride through a living city with stories of what disappeared.

The tour is by panoramic bus and with an expert guide from the Macedonian Association of Tourist Guides and Escorts. Citizens will have the chance to hear stories of the buildings destroyed in the earthquake and of the sites that once shaped the look and spirit of Skopje - a city, much of which today exists only in old photographs.

Departure is from the “Macedonia” Gate at 10:00, and taking part requires prior registration on the phone number +389 71 250 419. The City is inviting citizens to look back at the past together and to preserve the memory of 1963 for future generations.

The 1963 earthquake is not just a date in the textbooks - it is a scar in the memory of every Skopje family. Initiatives like this are worth exactly that: not to grieve, but so as not to forget how the city looked before the disaster and how much a single night can carry away. Skopje rose from the rubble once. The least it can do is remember the story.