Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At the next block, the handy trolley #28E stops at Rua da Conceição. Ahead on the
right (in the windows of the Millennium Bank) are Roman artifacts—a reminder that Lis-
bon's history goes way back.
The Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
At 9:40 in the morning on Sunday, November 1—All Saints' Day—an earthquake es-
timated to be close to 9.0 in magnitude rumbled through the city, punctuated by three
main jolts. Its arrival came midway through Mass. Ten minutes later, thousands lay
dead under the rubble.
Along the waterfront, shaken survivors scrambled aboard boats to sail to safety.
They were met by a 20-foot wall of water, the first wave of a tsunami that rushed up
the Rio Tejo. The ravaging water capsized ships, swept people off the docks, crested
over the seawall, and crashed 800 feet inland.
After the quake, the city turned into an inferno, as overturned cooking fires and
fallen candles ignited raging fires. The fires blazed for five days, ravaging the down-
town from the Bairro Alto across Rossio to the castle atop the Alfama.
