On April 6, 1667, at around 8:00am, the greatest natural disaster in the history of Dubrovnik occurred, a catastrophic earthquake called the Great Quake. The earthquake dealt Dubrovnik the hardest blow in its history so far.
The sea retreated from the port several times and returned, and smashed the ships that found themselves there. The dust that swirled over the ruined city was so thick that, according to eyewitnesses, it darkened the sky. Cracks appeared in the ground and water sources dried up. Strong winds kindled fires in fireplaces and bakeries, so that fires broke out, which did not go out for almost twenty days.
The quake destroyed almost the entire city and buried about 3,000 people, and the resulting fire engulfed invaluable material and cultural treasures that had arisen over the centuries. The earthquake was felt in places up to 500 kilometres away. A truly dark day in the long history of Dubrovnik and one that will never be forgotten.