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Shards are defined as pieces of something that was broken, cracked (glass, tiles, missiles), in a size that more or less allows picking them up by hand.

In Berislavićeva Street, a gray car was bombarded by the bricks. Luckily, there were no people in the street. Everything in this photo is gray (© Boris Kovačev)
During the earthquake that had struck Zagreb in the early morning hours, a luxury car was destroyed by a huge ornament that fell from one of the city facades (© Boris Kovačev)
The color contrast of a red Suzuki against the gray debris on the city streets (© Marko Todorov)
An almost surreal scene in front of the Croatian Post building in Jurišićeva Street (© Damjan Tadić)

It is no exaggeration to say that the Lower Town, with its iconic Austro-Hungarian buildings from the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century, is largely built from bricks. Likewise, it is no exaggeration to say that never – and at least since the 1880 earthquake – has there been so many shards on the city’s streets. The entire city turned into shards in those days.

The photo was taken on the day of the earthquake. The earthquake damage can be seen in the foreground, with the colorful roofs of St. Mark's Church and an advertising car in the back, as if hailing from a different age (© Damjan Tadić)

People trying to dig out their cars after the earthquake became an everyday sight. As well as those cars that remained buried under the bricks. Their chassis could only be glimpsed beneath individual bricks, some gray, some red in contrast. Those are some of the prevailing themes in this chapter. They were recorded by our photojournalists, who went to the streets right after the earthquake struck. They captured virtually apocalyptic scenes in Jurišićeva Street, as well as houses that had lost their facades, so that everything inside them suddenly became visible to all.

In Žerjavićeva Street, an owner tried to dig out his car buried by the earthquake, though not much was left (© Neja Markičević)
A huge amount of bricks in Bogovićeva Street, shot right after the earthquake. In the background, as a contrast, an announcement for a body cream shop opening soon (© Marko Todorov)

Many of the city center inhabitants were forced to move out of their homes. The center was a ghost town for day after, with only a few lit windows showing here and there.

This photo was taken on the corner of Petrinjska and Đorđićeva Streets, on the eleventh day after the earthquake. The facade is literally gone, we are looking into people's apartments (© Goran Mehkek)

The recommendation to stay at home was in force as well, so it was a rarity to see anyone in the street, and when it did happen, the faces of random passers-by showed only concern.

Three and a half weeks after the earthquake. At the address Ilica 114, a heavily damaged building is being cleared. The traffic officers and police directed foot traffic that day across the street, just in case (© Željko Puhovski)
The Nikola Tesla monument by Ivan Meštrović, and a host of bricks in front of it (© Damjan Tadić)
Frog's eye view of Zagreb city center one day later, immediately after a second, somewhat weaker earthquake (© Ronald Goršić)
The debris and other construction material that ended up in the streets after the earthquake are now, one month later, placed in bags. In the background, a young couple, holding each other and a coffee-to-go. Life goes on (© Goran Mehkek)

Still, in one of the more recent photos from Frankopanska Street, bricks are already in bags, with a young couple, arms around each other, passing by, enjoying a coffee-to-go. By happenstance, a few more couples are walking the street. Life moves on.

One of the cars that were damaged that day. There were many of those (© Ranko Šuvar)