In 1913 , after the Balkan Wars , Skopje became part of Kingdom of Serbia , and after the First World War the city became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Serbs , Croats and Slovenes ( Kingdom of Yugoslavia ) . In the Second World War the city was conquered by the Bulgarian Army , which was collaborating with the Nazi Germans . In 1944 it became the capital city of Democratic Macedonia ( later Socialist Republic of Macedonia ) , which was a federal state , part of Democratic Federal Yugoslavia ( later Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ) . The city developed rapidly after World War II , but this trend was interrupted in 1963 when it was hit by a disastrous earthquake . In 1991 it became the capital centre of independent Macedonia
disastrous earthquake
1963 Skopje earthquake
History of Skopje