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The 1880 and 2020 Earthquakes and the Architectural Heritage of the University of Zagreb

The University of Zagreb, the largest and most important higher education institution in Croatia, has its roots in the institution established by the Jesuits in 1669, which provided the foundation for the modern Francis Joseph I University established in 1874 and named after the emperor and king of Austria-Hungary, which included Croatia at the time. Unlike universities in the USA or the UK, a large number of universities in the Austria-Hungary, including Zagreb, were not built on a campus model, but were housed in buildings located in different places in the city. This was partly because they were mostly founded in large cities where it was impossible to set aside a large piece of land to be used solely by a university. Situated in an earthquake-prone area, Zagreb has been hit by two strong earthquakes, which also damaged the buildings of the University of Zagreb. The first, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, hit Zagreb on November 9, 1880 while the second one, with the magnitude of 5.5 degrees, occurred on March 22, 2020. This paper aims to show approaches taken for the restoration of the University’s architectural heritage in the aftermath of the earthquakes. In 1880 the University comprised a small number of buildings, but its main building was heavily damaged and it necessitated a thorough renovation. In the decades following its renovation the University expended and, consequently, housed its numerous facilities into new buildings (Chemistry Laboratory, Institutes of Chemistry and Physics, National and University Library, Faculty of Medicine), which today represent important works of Croatian late 19th/early 20th-century public architecture. Most of these buildings were damaged in the 2020 earthquake. As they have been listed as historic monuments, and therefore protected, the most urgent repairs have already been made but they are still awaiting thorough restoration and preservation.

Zagreb, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 1880 Earthquake, Zagreb 2020 Earthquake, Petrinja 2020 Earthquake, Architectural Heritage, Protection of Heritage, Organization of Renewal

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