It is one of the greatest natural disasters that Portugal has ever known. 1Verse November 1755, an earthquake (followed by a tsunami and countless fires) devastated Lisbon and left two-thirds of the city in ruins. A historical turning point around which one of the Portuguese capital’s new cultural venues, the Quake Museum, was designed. her motto? “Expect the unexpected.”
Since the opening of the museum on Wednesday 20 April, the Portuguese press has been capturing attention. the Diario de NoticiasAnd the For example, be proud of “A unique experience that will make Lisbon shiver again”. The area located in Belém has an area of 1800 square meters2 On three floors, with maps, special effects and simulators in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. Everything comes together to make a file “time travel”, The journal explains which determines:
“Everyone is invited “Relive the hours before and after the earthquake, without forgetting what followed: the rebuilding of a visionary Lisbon, and the emergence of new philosophical ideas that resulted from it.
New disaster horizon
The event that impressed Europe in the Age of Enlightenment (mentioned by Voltaire in Candid or optimistic), led, in fact, to a real architectural, but also cultural, academic and political revolution, imposed by the Marquis of Pombal, the powerful minister of King Joseph IVerse. The latter imposed, with the help of architects, urban planners and engineers, the rebuilding of Lisbon, a plan and organization that owed much to French illumination.
In addition to historical education, the Quake Museum also intends to inform and warn visitors of potential dangers. Because they do exist, as confirmed in the columns of the newspaper María João Cruz Marquez, co-responsible for the project:
“We live with the lingering notion that a new earthquake could happen [à Lisbonne]. The question is not if such an event will repeat itself, but when, due to our tectonic location.”
The museum also offers an introduction to seismology and civil protection in a small format “Training center” dedicated to prevention.
