Time travel into disaster: the 1755 Lisbon earthquake at the Earthquake Museum
- Panna
- Feb 10
- 4 min read
The Lisbon Earthquake Museum (Museu do Terramoto) is not just an exhibition space - it is more of a modern, experiential time machine that takes you back to the most defining and tragic moment in the city's history, the day of the 1755 earthquake. The museum aims not only to show the devastation of the disaster, but also to make the visitors feel the shock and uncertainty experienced by the residents of the time.
On November 1, 1755, the people of Lisbon had no idea that they were about to face one of the darkest days of their lives. The Portuguese capital woke up to bright sunshine and a sky that was almost blindingly blue - but at 9:40 a.m., the idyllic silence of nature turned into apocalyptic chaos in a matter of minutes. The earth shook, then opened up, and in the blink of an eye, the thriving city was reduced to a smoldering heap of ruins: Lisbon was struck by one of the most devastating earthquakes in world history.
The 9.2 magnitude quake, estimated to have lasted between three and six minutes, flattened hundreds of buildings. As it was All Saints' Day, many people were in churches, where frescoed ceilings literally collapsed on them. The city's streets were torn apart by meter-long cracks, and survivors stumbled out of the rubble, covered in dust - many in a state of shock, almost ghostly.
However, the tragedy did not end there: fallen candles and damaged stoves caused fires that raged for a whole week, further destroying the city.
The earthquake was followed by a huge tsunami that swept away the port and the city center. Many people sought refuge in open spaces, including the quay, but they were the first to be swept away by the several-meter-high wall of water.
The scale of the disaster was staggering: 85% of the buildings were destroyed, and at least 40,000 of the population of around 200,000 lost their lives - some estimates put it at 100,000. Lisbon, one of the most populous and richest cities in Europe, was in ruins, and not only the capital, but also the coastal towns of southern Portugal and even the Azores, 1,500 km away, suffered serious damage.
Many believe that the earthquake also marked the beginning of the fall of the Portuguese colonial empire. The royal administration almost collapsed - many officials died - and King José I suffered from severe claustrophobia after the trauma. The actual management of the country thereby fell to the Marques de Pombal, who made great contributions to the reconstruction of Lisbon, while introducing a famously harsh, often cruel, two-decade rule. The rebellion came at a price: executions became commonplace. Pombal's first goal was to rebuild the churches and establish public order, and he took an extremely strict approach to all crime. The homeless Lisboners took shelter in tents, and those who could left the city. Pombal acted cruelly by today's standards, but given the circumstances of the time, it was clearly the only way to handle the situation. It is no coincidence that a giant, forty-meter statue of the Marquis has stood in Lisbon since 1934, reminding us that the city's reconstruction is due to him.
The exhibition tells the story of the causes and consequences of the earthquake and tsunami in an interactive, exciting and experience-oriented way.
Perhaps the most exciting elements of the visit are the simulation rooms, where you literally find yourself in the past for a few minutes. The walls and floor of the room tremble and shake, while light and sound effects evoke the opening of the earth, the collapse of houses and the deathly silence that followed the dust settling after the earthquake. The most extraordinary simulation shows the collapse of a church: we sit in a pew in the church building, the priest celebrates mass, and then suddenly the ground moves beneath us. The pew starts to shake, and in the images projected on the wall we see the collapse of the building, the terrified escape of people and the complete destruction. It is a shocking experience, but this “time travel” is not intended to scare you, rather to give you a realistic impression of the power of nature - and how vulnerable humans are.
The educational nature of the experience center is already evident in the first rooms. With the help of interactive panels, three-dimensional building models and animations, we can learn how Baroque Lisbon was built, why it collapsed so easily, and what scientific theories have been developed about the causes of the earthquake. The museum pays special attention to children and young people: playful worksheets, touch-screen quizzes and easy-to-understand explanatory animations make historical, geological and architectural knowledge easy to absorb. This is exciting and entertaining for adults as well.
The exhibition also highlights how the disaster reshaped Portugal's history, thinking and urban planning. Visitors will learn about the pioneering reconstruction plans of Marques de Pombal, the modern architectural innovations of the era, and the civic mindset that was strengthened after the tragedy: the importance of safety, foresight and scientific research.
At the end of the museum, the focus is on the present and the future. Interactive stations show how earthquake warning systems work today, the rules for building modern, earthquake-proof houses, and what we can learn from the mistakes of the past. Visitors leave not only having “traveled back in time”, but also having understood that the power of nature must be respected and knowledge must be passed on.
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