Port of Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park was opened in 1997 in Meriken Park in memory of the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake; it preserves 60m of collapsed jetty just as it was. There is also a space that shows visitors, by video and by display panels, the seismic record of the earthquake and the process of city reconstruction. On January 17th, 1995, the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake struck mainly Kobe and the northern part of Awaji Island with the force of Magnitude 703 on the Richter scale at 5:46 a.m. Because it struck the urban area, many functions and facilities were severely damaged. Many lives were lost when wooden houses in downtown Kobe collapsed. The port facilities were paralyzed, principally by liquefaction.