The 1511 Idrija earthquake (Slovene: Idrijski potres) occurred on March 26 with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The epicenter was around the town of Idrija in present-day Slovenia, although some place it some 15-20 kilometers to the west, between Gemona and Pulfero in Friulian Slovenia.[disputed ] The earthquake affected a large territory between Carinthia, Friuli, present-day Slovenia and Croatia. An estimated twelve to fifteen thousand people were killed and damage was considered severe. The earthquake was felt as far as in Switzerland and present-day Slovakia. A number of castles and churches were razed to the ground in a large area from Northeastern Italy to western Croatia. Among the destroyed buildings were the castles of Udine and Škofja Loka, the monastery of the Teutonic Knights in Ljubljana; the Zagreb cathedral was severely damaged. Blaž Raškaj, commander of the Jajce fortess, in modern Bosnia, reported to the Hungarian Estates that the earthquake had severely damaged the fortifications.
Ljubljana | |
Local date | March 26, 1511 |
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Epicenter | 46°12′N 13°26′E / 46.2°N 13.43°E [1] |
Total damage | Severe [1] |
Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme)[1] |
Tsunami | Yes [1] |
Casualties | 15,000 dead [1] |
The reconstruction of the destroyed buildings in the following decades is considered the dividing line between Gothic and Renaissance architecture in the art history of the Eastern Alps.
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