The Great Lisbon Earthquake - Shaking again this summer!
General description
The Great Lisbon Earthquake occurred in 1755. It was one of the most catastrophic events in European history. It heavily damaged the Southwest of the Iberian Peninsula and the Norwest of Africa. The associated Tsunami reached the other side of the Atlantic.
The entire world was deeply impressed and the discussion of its causes generated a large amount of scientific and metaphysical speculation that inspired some authors like Kant, Voltaire and Goethe to write about the event and the origins and causes of earthquakes.
250 years after this tragedy LBG LISBON decided to organize a SUMMER course on this topic and the reconstruction of Lisbon, where there will be much more than lectures/presentations. We want to have a great time by providing you the best time of your lives! For that we made a full field schedule with many excursions to beautiful old cities from the centre to south Portugal, swimming on the BEACH, CAMPING in a natural reserve and many PARTIES and surprises that we don’t want to tell you now ;)
Still not convinced? Check out our course’s website!
Academic information
- Content and topics:
- What happened in the 1st November 1755: the earthquake, the tsunami and the destruction by fire; the cause of earthquakes and tsunamis; the reconstruction of Lisbon. Lessons gained from the destruction and the origin of seismic rules for buildings. The first Portuguese large scale urban planning and the classic architecture of downtown Lisbon. The impact in Europe of the Lisbon earthquake: philosophic, religious, literary and artistic terms.
- Learning goals and objectives:
- The participants will gain awareness to seismic risks and the need for the protection of the built heritage. At the same time they will be able to understand the advanced organisation and design required for the reconstruction of Lisbon.
- Examination type:
- Final project presentation
Information for applicants
- Selection criteria:
- 30 students will be selected. No academic requirements. We will try to keep the 50%-50% gender distribution, as well as a good nationality diversity.
Practical arrangements
All of the following are covered by the event fee:
- Lodging:
- The first weekend we will go camping in the southern coast (Alentejo). The second weekend we will stay at a university’s dormitory in Évora. All the other nights you will be staying in the university's dormitory at Picoas, near the center (3 floors, 15 double rooms, 1 bathroom per floor, 1 living room with sofas, TV).
- Meals:
- We will provide the participants all the necessary biological nutrients to survive the 2 week course. Breakfast will be served on the university's dorm (not in the bed… not all of your wishes can be full field): bread, cheese, ham, juice, coffee, tea, etc). Sometimes, when we are outside Lisbon we will provide sandwiches for lunch or typical portuguese BBQ. On working days, lunch and dinner will be provided on the university's canteen, except for special occasions (International, National, etc).
- Transportation:
- From the university's dorm to the class room it's about 5 minutes walking. For the traveling in Portugal we'll use the university's bus. In Lisbon we will use public transportation (subway, bus, train and tram).