Visiting Coimbra

About Coimbra

The City of Coimbra has its own mystique, fruit of a past full of relevant facts, and also of the memories of many tens of thousands of Portuguese who, even today, scattered throughout the country or beyond borders, remembering the years of youth here when they attended the University, usually times of unconcern, folguedos and hopes.

The prehistoric vestiges are scarce but they allow to witness the human permanence in the present urban perimeter of the City. From the period of Roman dominion was a cryptoportico, located under the constructions of the old Episcopal Palace, building where the National Museum of Machado de Castro is installed.

With the fall of the Roman empire, new invaders, commonly known as barbarians, arrived here in Coimbra, joining Vandals, Suevos, Alanos and later Visigoths, who led to the modification of the city’s facies. In 711, the city is occupied by Muslims, having been Islamic for more than three centuries, despite brief moments of domination by Christian troops. Conquered definitively in 1064, by the troops of Fernando Magno, Coimbra, by its geographical position, was then the warehouse between the Islamic South and the Christian North, and an important Mozarabic community was established here.

First capital of the kingdom, during the time of our first monarchs, during almost two centuries, gained new projection with the foundation of the University, that provided the formation of the urban nucleus full of remarkable buildings. It is from 1537 that numerous university colleges emerge, verifying thus two spaces reserved for the study: next to Paço Real (Alta) and in Rua da Sofia (Baixa).

In the 18th century, Coimbra maintained its academic vocation, reinforced by the University’s reform, conducted by the Marquis of Pombal. The new buildings, resulting from this reform, changed the appearance and structure of the university city, valuing the Natural Sciences and Experimentation.

During the 19th century, there is a significant increase in population, resulting in new streets and residential areas, with emphasis on the urbanization plan of Quinta do Mosteiro de Santa Cruz. In the 20th century, Coimbra knows new and profound changes with the construction of the new university city, moving the resident population of “Upper Coimbra” to new neighborhoods of the city.

In the 90s, the city expanded to the Valley of Flowers and Boavista, where the University’s Pole II was built, dedicated to Science and Technology, on the right bank of the Mondego, with buildings designed by the most notable contemporary architects . Around the hospitals of the University, in the zone of Celas, the Pole III of the University dedicated to the Sciences of the Life was installed.

World Heritage

University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia

On June 22, 2013, the University of Coimbra, Alta and Sofia were integrated into the UNESCO World Heritage list. This classification refers to buildings, but also encompasses an immaterial dimension justified by the role of the University of Coimbra as a constructor and diffuser for centuries of Portuguese language and culture.

We feel proud. Portugal has other notable sites classified as World Heritage, but Coimbra, a fantastic and enchanted city, well deserved it.

For the mayor of Coimbra, Manuel Machado, this classification arouses a feeling of responsible joy. The second part of the expression is due to the awareness that the city has much to do, to repair, to build, to continue to deserve the distinction of UNESCO.
For that much that there is to do is necessary millions of euros of which the House and the University do not have. That is why Manuel Machado has defended that, in the next framework of European support, Portugal 20 20, a line destined exclusively to the areas classified as world heritage is created.
In another plan, Manuel Machado announced that he intends to invest almost 7 million euros in the rehabilitation of buildings and public spaces in the center of the city. About half of this amount will come from a loan to be contracted to the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the remaining 50% from city revenue.
With the reconversion of the building is intended to trigger a social regeneration, attracting more people, more shops, more business, more life for the historic center of Coimbra.

In this little more than a year since the date of classification, the Coimbra Municipal Council concluded a work, recently consolidated with the approval of the PDM revision, which implies the exact definition, by the city services, of the classified area, of the classified goods and their protection zone.
There are 35.5 hectares of classified area, plus 81.5 hectares of protection zone. That is, 117 hectares in total. This exact definition will have an impact, in particular on the delimitation of tax benefits. In addition to the fact that the Municipality of Coimbra has already reduced IMI in this area, we are working to make it possible for property owners to benefit from VAT at 6%, instead of the usual 23%, in their recovery works.

The Chamber is drawing up the so-called Via Central project, which will connect Rua da Sofia and Avenida Fernão de Magalhães. The municipal services are developing the execution project, which will then be presented to the Municipal Executive for a subsequent public tender. This new artery will soon end up with a vast decomposing organism in the Lower Coimbra, and will have enough space to accommodate the future light surface metro.
The municipality is also working on the opening of a new connection between Rua Dias Ferreira and Rua de Aveiro, passing through the Fence of São Bernardo, and preparing an intervention in Terreiro da Erva.

The studies required for the placement of World Heritage signage are complete. This is one of the obligations of the agreement signed with UNESCO. And at this time, the work of casting the respective symbol of this Patrimony takes place. There is also the study for the demarcation and identification of places and ways to signal, noting that Coimbra is a World Heritage city.
The intervention in the College of Grace, located in Rua da Sofia, is practically ready. There, the 25 de Abril Documentation Center will be installed.

The Chamber and the University of Coimbra also joined in launching a link between the Lower and Upper City through a route through the forest of the Botanical Garden. This route can be visited and benefit from public transportation. In addition to the scenic beauty along the way, it is expected that there will be an excess of parking in the 1st pole of the University, since the cars, usually the most in this area, will be able to stay in the Green Park parking lot.