A part of the north spire of Zagreb's historic cathedral, 13.5 metres tall and weighing some 30 tonnes, was removed on Friday after it had been damaged in a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that hit the city on March 22.

After the tip of the southern spire had been destroyed in the earthquake, the strongest to hit Zagreb in 140 years, structural engineers decided on April 1 that the top of the damaged northern spire should also be removed to prevent it from collapsing and causing damage to the cathedral and the area around it. After repairs, the tip of the spire will be returned to the northern tower. 

The part was removed following a controlled explosion at around 6 pm.

The two monumental spires were added onto the building, originally finished in the 13th century, during the restoration effort to rebuild the historic structure after it had been severely damaged 140 years ago – in another earthquake.

That quake, that devastated Zagreb in November 1880, remains the most powerful ever recorded in the city, followed by the one that struck on March 22 this year.

The restoration project that gave the Zagreb landmark its recognisable Neo-Gothic appearance was led by Austro-Hungarian architect Hermann Bollé, whose 94th death anniversary is marked on April 17th, precisely the day when one of his spires was carefully taken down for repairs.