November 1st marks the 270th anniversary of the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon, and this year there will once again be an initiative that aims to turn this memory of the catastrophe into a warning for the future and for self-preparation.
The date will be marked by a series of awareness-raising actions across the country, promoted by the “Remember 1755” Movement, an initiative with the help of Quake, the immersive museum dedicated to the Lisbon earthquake , which this year, being the second edition, has decided to expand beyond the country’s capital.
Let’s find out all the details of these actions.
Raising public awareness
The aim of this campaign is very clear, as it was last year (only for residents of Greater Lisbon): to make all Portuguese aware of the importance and extreme need to prepare for any disaster of this kind in Portugal, especially for seismic risks.
To ensure that this information and these objectives do not go unnoticed, a series of symbolic actions will take place on October 31 and November 1:
- Illuminated monuments
- On the night of October 31, several monuments in Lisbon, Setúbal, Leiria, Lagos and Ponta Delgada will be lit up in purple, the symbolic color of the initiative;
- Choir of sirens
- On November 1, at 9:40 a.m., the exact time the earthquake began, a chorus of sirens will sound. The League of Portuguese Firefighters will echo the sirens of the fire stations, which will be joined by the Transtejo Soflusa ships on the Tagus;
- Appeal to the population
- The movement invites all Portuguese to take part by hanging a piece of clothing or a purple cloth in their windows. Sharing photos on social media with the hashtag #recordar1755 is encouraged, as a gesture of collective memory.
Where to see the tributes
There are a number of monuments where you can see the impact of these actions, all over the country, including Lisbon:
- Cristo Rei
- Moorish Castle in Sintra
- Statue in Praça do Comércio
- Paços do Concelho (Lisbon City Hall)
Outside Lisbon, the Town Hall and Fort of Setúbal, the Castle of Leiria, the Church of Santo António in Lagos and the Portas da Cidade in Ponta Delgada will be the other places to be “painted” purple as part of this awareness campaign.
Ricardo Clemente, co-founder of Quake, stresses the importance of changing the perception of the date,
The 1755 earthquake was more than a catastrophe, it should be remembered and teach us to be better prepared. The Remember 1755 Movement was born to reverse this logic and restore meaning to a date that the country treated as a footnote, a reminder that we need a less selective and more conscious collective memory .”
As collaborators in this initiative, Quake has also prepared a special program for November 1, with visits to the museum enriched by the presence of actors who will bring historical characters to life, making the experience more immersive.
On the same day, at 5pm, the museum’s cafeteria will host the launch of the book “Recordar 1755”, written by André Canhoto Costa, with the author present for an autograph session.
And throughout the day, the visit will be accompanied by a DJ set, with exclusive offers at the end.
Address: Rua Cais da Alfândega Velha 39 (in Belém, next to the National Coach Museum)
Opening hours: every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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