Zagreb Earthquake six years on: Billions spent and reconstruction continues

Sunday marks the sixth anniversary of the Zagreb earthquake, a 5.3-magnitude tremor that struck early in the morning, injuring 27 people. A teenage girl later died from injuries caused by falling debris.

The quake damaged more than 25,000 buildings, leaving a lasting impact on the Croatian capital. Reconstruction is still ongoing, with Croatia spending about €2.75 billion so far—much of it funded by the European Union.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, along with five cabinet members, visited several major construction sites on Saturday, including the city’s largest hospital, the Croatian History Museum, and the Faculty of Medicine, to assess progress.

“When we walked through the city center that Sunday morning and saw the damage—including the Cathedral with the tip of one spire missing—I estimated that the 10 seconds of the quake had caused damage that would take 10 years to repair. As reconstruction progresses, that estimate appears accurate,” Plenković said.

He noted that such disasters are rare in European capitals.

“We recently saw footage of deadly flooding in Portugal linked to climate change, but their capital has not been affected in this way. Zagreb is the only European capital to face this kind of disaster. Reconstruction in L’Aquila, Italy, has been ongoing for 17 years,” he added, referencing the 6.3-magnitude earthquake that devastated the 13th century Italian city in 2009.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Physical Planning, Construction and State Property Branko Bačić said significant progress has been made over the past six years.

“Reconstruction efforts from the Zagreb and Petrinja earthquakes have covered 14,500 buildings so far, including around 55,000 households. However, work remains at approximately 4,300 locations,” Bačić said.