Recreate the terrible earthquake in Portugal from 1755

To improve knowledge of disaster response, the city of Lisbon has opened an earthquake research center, helping guests have a real view when a disaster strikes.

The earth shook, the walls collapsed, the fire engulfed. Guests are witnessing first-hand what happened when an 8.5-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale devastated the Portuguese capital Lisbon more than 260 years ago. The 1755 earthquake and tsunami destroyed 85% of the buildings in Lisbon, killing one-third of the city’s inhabitants. This is considered one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in Europe in the 18th century.

Mr. Antonio Canhoto Costa – Historian in Portugal shared: “Creating a detailed and realistic experience like this is really a huge effort. The images and sounds have an impact on the emotions. viewer’s perception of an unforgettable natural disaster event in the past”.

The newly opened earthquake research center in the Portuguese capital is like a museum, telling the story of a disaster-ravaged Lisbon city but also showing the miraculous rebirth of its people. The center will also educate the public on how to react in the event of a disaster again.

Susana Custódio – Seismologist, University of Lisbon, Portugal said: “We see that Spain, Portugal and North Africa have a lot of geological fault lines, the dots are the dots. We’re in an earthquake-prone area and we need to be prepared when disaster strikes.”

Just outside the city space, the aqueduct and a few ancient buildings are still standing after the disaster of 1755. Historical witnesses show the terrible devastation of natural disasters and what humans can do. is to prepare knowledge and skills to be somewhat less passive when bad situations occur.

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