Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon,

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, and

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

, it is the largest city of the district of Coimbra and the

Centro Region The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco, ...

. About 460,000 people live in the

Região de Coimbra The Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Coimbra () is an administrative division in Portugal. It was created in October 2013, replacing the previously existing ''Greater Metropolitan Area of Coimbra''. Since January 2015, Região de Coimbra is ...

, comprising 19 municipalities and extending into an area of . Among the many archaeological structures dating back to the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

, when Coimbra was the settlement of

Aeminium Aeminium was the ancient name of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. The Romans founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of Augustus, which came under the protection of nearby Conimbriga situated some to the south. The Roman ci ...

, are its well-preserved aqueduct and

cryptoporticus In Ancient Roman architecture a cryptoporticus (from atin''crypta'' and '' porticus'') is a covered corridor or passageway. The usual English is "cryptoportico". The cryptoportico is a semi-subterranean gallery whose vaulting supports portico str ...

. Similarly, buildings from the period when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal (from 1131 to 1255) still remain. During the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, with its decline as the political centre of the Kingdom of Portugal, Coimbra began to evolve into a major cultural centre. This was in large part helped by the establishment of the first Portuguese university in 1290 in Lisbon and its relocation to Coimbra in 1308, making it the oldest academic institution in the

Portuguese-speaking Lusophones ( pt, Lusófonos) are peoples that speak Portuguese as a native or as common second language and nations where Portuguese features prominently in society. Comprising an estimated 270 million people spread across 10 sovereign countries ...

world. Apart from attracting many European and

international student International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...

s, the university is visited by many tourists for its monuments and history. Its historical buildings were classified as a

World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

site by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 2013: "Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages."

History

Roman Republic

The city, located on a hill by the

Mondego River The Rio Mondego () or Mondego River is the longest river entirely within Portuguese territory. It has its source in Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in mainland Portugal (i.e. excluding the Portuguese islands). It runs from the Go ...

, was called ''

'' in

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

, which came under the protection of nearby

Conímbriga Conímbriga is one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portugal, and was classified as a National Monument in 1910. Located in the civil parish of Condeixa-a-Velha e Condeixa-a-Nova, in the municipality of Condeixa-a-Nova, it is situate ...

(in

Condeixa-a-Nova Condeixa-a-Nova (), also known as just Condeixa, is a town and a municipality in the district of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,078, in an area of 138.67 km². It is located 15 km south of Coimbra, and is part of the R ...

), some to the south. The Roman city was encircled by a wall, and followed an orthogonal plan, with the

cardo maximus A cardo (plural ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Roman cities and military camps as an integral component of city planning. The cardo maximus, or most often the ''cardo'', was the main or central north–south-oriented street ...

and

decumanus maximus In Roman urban planning, a decumanus was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or castrum (military camp). The main decumanus of a particular city was the Decumanus Maximus, or most often simply "the Decumanus". In the rectangular street g ...

crossing at the

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

. An aqueduct existed, the remains of which were incorporated into a latter medieval renovation. Aeminium fell under the influence, administratively, of the larger Roman villa of ''Conímbriga'', until the latter was sacked by the

Sueves The Suebi (or Suebians, also spelled Suevi, Suavi) were a large group of Germanic peoples originally from the Elbe river region in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. In the early Roman era they included many peoples with their own nam ...

and

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

between 465 and 468 and abandoned.David J.J. Evans, Cadogan Guides Portugal (2004), , p.221 It became the seat of a diocesis, replacing Conímbriga. Although Conimbriga had been administratively important, Aeminium affirmed its position by being situated at the confluence of the north-south traffic that connected the Roman Bracara Augusta (Roman name of

) and

Olisipo Municipium Cives Romanorum Felicitas Julia Olisipo (in Latin: ''Olisippo'' or ''Ulyssippo'' ; in Greek: ''Ὀλισσιπών'', ''Olissipṓn'', or ''Ὀλισσιπόνα'', ''Olissipóna'') was the ancient name of modern-day Lisbon while part of ...

(Roman name of Lisbon) with its waterway, which enabled connections with the interior and coast. The limestone table on which the settlement grew has a dominant position overlooking the Mondego, circled by fertile lands irrigated by its waters. Vestiges of this early history include the

of the former Roman forum (now part of the Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro). The move of the settlement and bishopric of Conimbriga to Aeminium resulted in the name change to ''Conimbriga'', evolving later to ''Colimbria''.

Suebi, Alans and Visigoths

Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro, 2002

After being subjected to the Roman Empire for a long time, a deluge of

barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be les ...

flooded the Iberian Peninsula in 409, and the Lower Mondego area recognised

Hermeric Hermeric (died 441) was the king of the Suevi from at least 419 and possibly as early as 406 until his abdication in 438. Biography Before 419 Nothing is known for sure about Hermeric before 419, the year in which he is first mentioned; ...

, the landlord of the Suebi, as its ruler. But the ambition to gain territory dominated Ataces, king of the

Alans The Alans (Latin: ''Alani'') were an ancient and medieval Iranian nomadic pastoral people of the North Caucasus – generally regarded as part of the Sarmatians, and possibly related to the Massagetae. Modern historians have connected the A ...

and Coimbra fell from the hands of Hermeric. Ataces, the new lord of Coimbra, depopulated and devastated it fearing the security of its fortresses. Delighted, however, with the beauty of Lower Mondego, and with the easiness of its fields, he laid beside it the foundations for a new city which was called ''Colimbria''. Ataces converted to christianity, but being arian by sect persecuted catholics with ferocity. The prisoners were either beheaded before the walls of the new city, their bodies serving as foundations, or employed like cargo donkeys in its edification. Nobody escaped the tyranny of Ataces: he ordered everyone to work on the construction of the walls.

Elipando Elipandus (717–805) was a Spanish theologian and the archbishop of Toledo from 782. He was condemned by the Catholic Church as an Adoptionist. Six letters written by Elipandus survive, including one to Migetius and another on behalf of the bi ...

, the holy Bishop of Coimbra was also there holding the stone and the clay for the works of the city. “Passing by the new Coimbra (says Arisberto, Bishop of Porto, writing to Samerico,

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga ( la, Archidioecesis Bracarensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is known for its use of the Rite of Braga, a use of the liturgy distinct from the Roman R ...

), there I saw working in the construction of their walls many Ministers of God; among them, at the orders of Ataces, was also Bishop Elipando: I cried with them for their misfortune and for the loss of this fertile province of the Roman Empire.” Hermeric of the northern Kingdom of the Suebi, whose the capital was Bracara Augusta (former name of Braga), did not lose hope of rescuing the lands that had been taken by Ataces in the south. He crossed the

Douro river The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...

and appeared with his army before the new walls of Coimbra. But Ataces triumphed and followed Hermeric's retreating army to the banks of Douro, further north, where the Suebi landlord would buy from him, in exchange for his daughter, peace and an alliance. Ataces, crowned with the laurels of victory continues with great fervor the reedification of the city he had plundered before. Hermeric visited him in Colimbria bringing him her daughter, princess Cindazunda, who had been flourishing in age and beauty. Ataces, in order to show his gratitude had the picture of his new wife placed in a vase, with a serpent on one side and a lion walking towards her on the other. Those were the insignias of Ataces (lion) and Hermeric (serpent). Cindazunda had her eyes lifted up the sky and her hands raised as if thanking the Eternal for having been the medium between the father and the husband and having united with bonds of peace and friendship the serpent and the lion, up until that moment, enemies. As the walls and towers of the city were being built, the workers carved on the stones this insignia so pleasant to the King, that until today, has been the coat of arms of Coimbra. Cindazunda, professing Catholicism, established the bonds of peace between the two kings and improved the fortunes of the inhabitants of Coimbra mitigating the ferocious spirit of Ataces against the catholics. The

would conquest the region later. During the Visigothic era (from the 5th to the early 8th century), the

County of Coimbra The County of Coimbra ( pt, Condado de Coimbra) was a political entity consisting of the lands of Coimbra, Viseu, Lamego and Santa Maria da Feira, in modern Portugal. It arose within the Kingdom of Asturias following the reconquest of the region ...

was created by king Wittiza (c. 687 – probably 710) and it was a sub-county of his dominion, established as a fief for his son prince Ardabast (or Sisebuto), with its seat in ''Emínio'' (the Visigothic name for Coimbra), which persisted until the Muslim invasion from the south.

Islamic Era

The first Muslim campaigns that occupied the Iberian Peninsula occurred between 711 and 715, with Coimbra capitulating to Musa bin Nusair in 714. Although it was not a large settlement, Qulumriyah ( ar, قُلُمْرِيَة), in the context of

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

, was the largest agglomerated centre along the northern Tagus valley, and its principal city boasted a walled enclosure of 10 hectares, supporting between 3000 and 5000 inhabitants. Remnants of this period include the beginnings of the Almedina, Arrabalde and the fortified palace used by the city's governor (which was later converted into the Royal Palace by the early Portuguese monarchs). The Christian

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

forced the

Banu Dānis The Banū Dānis ( ar, بنو أبي دانيس), also known as ''Banū Abī Dānis'' or ''Banū Adānis'', were a clan of the Berber tribe of Awsāǧa (also Awsaŷa, 'Awsaja, Aussaya). The 'Awsāǧa, in turn, belonged to the tribal confederation o ...

and the other Muslims to abandon the region temporarily. Successively the Moors retook the castle in 987–1064 and again in 1116, capturing two castles constructed to protect the territory: in Miranda da Beira (where the garrison was slaughtered) and in Santa Eulália (where the governor rendered his forces rather than facing a similar massacre).

Middle Ages

The reconquest of the territory was attained in 1064 by King

Ferdinand I of León and Castile Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

, who appointed Dom

Sisnando Davides Sisnando (or Sesnando) Davides (also Davídez, Davídiz, or Davidiz, and sometimes just David; died 25 August 1091) was a Mozarab nobleman and military leader of the Reconquista, born in Tentúgal, near Coimbra. He was a contemporary and acquain ...

to reorganize the economy and administer the lands encircling the city. The County of Portucale and the

were later integrated into one dominion under the stewardship of Henry of Burgundy by

Alfonso VI of León and Castile Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsul ...

in 1096, when Henry married Alfonso's illegitimate daughter

Theresa Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or re ...

. Henry expanded the frontiers of the County, confronting the Moorish forces, and upon his death in 1112, Theresa, Countess of Portucale and Coimbra, unified her possessions. Their son,

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

, who took up residence in the ancient seat of the Christian County of Coimbra, sent expeditions to the south and west, consolidating a network of castles that included Leiria, Soure, Rabaçal, Alvorge and

Ansião Ansião () is a municipality in Leiria District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 13,128, During the 12th century, Afonso Henriques administered an area of fertile lands with river access and protected by a fortified city, whose population exceeded 6000 inhabitants, including magnates, knights and high clergy. The young

Infante ''Infante'' (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as Infant or translated as Prince, is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to th ...

encouraged the construction of his seat, funding the

Santa Cruz Monastery The Monastery of the Holy Cross ( pt, Mosteiro da Santa Cruz, links=no), also known as the Church of the Holy Cross, is a National Monument in Coimbra, Portugal. Because the first two kings of Portugal are buried in the church it was granted the s ...

(the most important Portuguese

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

institution at the time, founded in 1131 by Theotonius), promoted the construction of the Old Cathedral, reconstructed the original Roman bridge in 1132, and repaired and renovated fountains, kilns, roads and stone pavements, as well as the walls of the old city. In order to confirm and reinforce the power of the ''

concelho Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal ...

'' (municipality) he conceded a formal

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician '' foro'', ...

(charter) in 1179. Already in the

, Coimbra was divided into an upper city (''Cidade Alta'' or '' Almedina''), where the aristocracy and the clergy lived, and the merchant, artisan and labour centres in the lower city (''Arrabalde'' or ''Cidade Baixa'') by the

, in addition to the old and new Jewish quarters. The city was encircled by a

fortified wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

, of which some remnants are still visible like the Almedina Gate (''Porta da Almedina''). Pt-coias-mosteiro-staclara

Meanwhile, on the periphery, the municipality began to grow in various agglomerations, notably around the monasteries and convents that developed in Celas, Santa Clara,

Santo António dos Olivais Santo António dos Olivais, commonly shortened to Olivais, is an urban freguesia, civil parish in the List of municipalities of Portugal, municipality of Coimbra Municipality, Coimbra in Portugal, making up the eastern part of the historic city of ...

. The most important work in

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style in the city is the

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha The ruins of the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha (Old St. Clare) are located in the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. The monastery was built in the 14th century on the left bank of the Mondego River, but had to be abandoned in the 17th century due t ...

, founded on the left side of the river Mondego by Queen Elizabeth of Portugal in the first half of the 14th century. It stood too close to the river, and frequent floods forced the nuns to abandon it in the 17th century, when the

Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova () is a monastery in Coimbra, Portugal. It was built to replace the mediaeval Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha, located nearby, which at the time was prone to frequent flooding by the waters of the Mondego river ...

was built uphill. The Queen's magnificent Gothic tomb was also transferred to the new convent. The ruins of the old convent were excavated in the 2000s, and can be seen today on the left bank of the river.

Renaissance

In the 15th and 16th centuries, during the

Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...

, Coimbra was again one of the main artistic centres of Portugal thanks to both local and royal patronage. Coimbra bishops,

religious orders A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious pract ...

and

King Manuel I Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as ...

supported artists like Diogo Pires (father and son), Marcos Pires,

João de Castilho João de Castilho (1470–1552), also known as ''Juan de Castillo'' (Merindad de Trasmiera, Cantabria, c. 1470 — c. 1552)'','' was a Castilian and a notable Iberian architect born in Castillo Siete Villas, actually Arnuero (Cantabria). He ...

, Diogo de Castilho and the Frenchmen, João de Ruão and Nicholas of Chanterene, among others, who left important

Manueline The Manueline ( pt, estilo manuelino, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manuel ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

works in the town. Dating from this period are the remodelling (in Manueline style) of the

, including the tombs of Kings

and Sancho I, the Renaissance Manga Fountain, and the altarpieces and triumphal portal of the Old Cathedral, among other works. The

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...

, was founded as a

Studium Generale is the old customary name for a medieval university in medieval Europe. Overview There is no official definition for the term . The term ' first appeared at the beginning of the 13th century out of customary usage, and meant a place where stud ...

in Lisbon in 1290 by King Dinis I. The University was relocated to Coimbra in 1308, but in 1338 King D. Afonso IV returned the University to Lisbon. The University was definitively transferred to the premises of Coimbra Royal Palace in 1537 by King John III, and expanded by 1544 to occupy the Coimbra Royal Palace. Since then, city life has revolved around the state-run university. For many decades, several colleges (''colégios'') established by the religious orders provided an alternative to the official institution, but were gradually discontinued with the secularization of education in Portugal. Built in the 18th century, the

Joanina Library The Biblioteca Joanina, sometimes known in English as the Joanine Library, is a Baroque library in Coimbra, Portugal, located at the heart of the University of Coimbra. The Biblioteca Joanina is regularly considered one of the most beautiful lib ...

(''Biblioteca Joanina''), a Baroque library, is another notable landmark of the ancient university. The Baroque University Tower (''Torre da Universidade''), from the school of the German architect Ludovice and built between 1728 and 1733, is the city's library.

Baroque and modern

In 1772, the

Marquis of Pombal Count of Oeiras () was a Portuguese title of nobility created by a royal decree, dated July 15, 1759, by King Joseph I of Portugal, and granted to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, head of the Portuguese government. Later, through another roy ...

, prime minister of King

José I Dom Joseph I ( pt, José Francisco António Inácio Norberto Agostinho, ; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other acti ...

, undertook a major reform of the university, where the study of the sciences assumed vast importance. The collections of scientific instruments and material acquired then are now gathered in the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra, and constitute one of the most important historical science collections in Europe. However, his desire to modernise the university resulted in the complete demolition of Coimbra's medieval city walls and castle. Very little, of which remains today. The first half of the 19th century was a difficult period for Coimbra, being invaded by French troops under the command of

Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantes (24 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Early life Junot was born in Bussy-le-Grand, Côte-d'Or, son ...

and

André Masséna André Masséna, Prince of Essling, Duke of Rivoli (born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817) was a French military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.Donald D. Horward, ed., trans, annotated, The Fre ...

during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. A force of 4,000 Portuguese

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

led by Nicholas Trant dealt Masséna a heavy blow when it recaptured the city on 6 October 1810. In March 1811, the militia successfully held the place against the retreating

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

. The city recovered in the second half of the 19th century with infrastructure improvements like the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

, gas light, the railway system, a railway bridge over the Mondego River and the renovation of the Portela bridge, in addition to the broadening of roads and expansion of the city into the Quinta de Santa Cruz. IgrejaSAntonioOlivais

By 1854, with the expulsion of the religious orders and municipal reforms, the need to reorganize the municipality of Coimbra forced some changes in the existing structure of the administrative divisions. Consequently, documents were sent (on 20 January 1854) to the Ministries of Ecclesiastical Affairs ( pt, Ministério dos Negócios Eclesiásticos) and Justice ( pt, Ministério de Justiça) urging the identification by the Civil Governor and Archbishop of Coimbra (Manuel Bento Rodrigues) of the number of civil parishes to preserve, their limits, the political organs to be retained, a local census and other statistics to justify the demarcation of the territory., p. 2-3 A commission of five members, which included João Maria Baptista Callixto, António dos Santos Pereira Jardim, Roque Joaquim Fernandes Thomás, João Correia Ayres de Campos and António Egypcio Quaresma Lopes de Carvalho e Vasconcelos, was appointed to produce a plan to reduce, suppress, demarcate and establish civil parishes in the city of Coimbra and its suburbs.

Republic

On 1January 1911, electric tramways were inaugurated to connect the old quarter with its expanding periphery, which included the residential areas of Celas, Olivais, Penedo da Saudade and Calhabé, all located in the civil parish of

. This was only the initiation of the municipality growth. Civil construction projects throughout the region marked the economic activity of the territory, with new areas such as Montes Claros, Arregaça, Cumeada and Calhabé growing in the shadow of the city. Even projects that had been planned at the end of the 19th century gained new initiative, including the expansion of the Santa Cruz neighbourhood (''bairro''), the demolition of the residential area of the Alta de Coimbra (1940–50) to expand the university, and construction or expansion of the bairros of Celas, Sete Fontes and Marechal Carmona (now the bairro of Norton de Matos).

Geography

One of the nation's most important crossroads, Coimbra was historically at a junction between Braga and Lisbon, and its river access (the Mondego flows through the municipality) provided a route between the interior communities and the coastal towns (including the seaside city of

Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, west ...

, west of Coimbra). The historic city of Coimbra is located centrally within the municipality, connected to Lisbon () and Porto () by the IC2, IP3 and A1 motorways. p. 5-13 The municipality is circled by several of its neighbouring municipalities in the

, which include

Penacova Penacova ( or ) is a town and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 15,251, in an area of 216.73 km². Parishes Administratively, the municipality is divided into 8 civil parishes (''freguesias''): ...

(in the northeast),

Vila Nova de Poiares Vila Nova de Poiares () is a municipality in the Coimbra district, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,281, in an area of 84.45 km². Parishes Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (''freguesias''): * Arri ...

(to the east),

Miranda do Corvo Miranda do Corvo () is a town and a municipality in the Portuguese district of Coimbra, with an area of and 2011 population of 13,098 inhabitants. History The first reference to the region of Miranda do Corvo arrived at the end of the 10th cen ...

(to the southeast),

(to the south and southwest),

Montemor-o-Velho Montemor-o-Velho () is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km². History In 711, the Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula began. Mont ...

(to the west), Cantanhede (to the northwest) and Mealhada (in the north and northeast). Just outside the municipality, there are also several picturesque mountain towns such as

Lousã Lousã () is a town and concelho, municipality in the district of Coimbra (district), Coimbra, in the central part of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 17,604, in an area of 138.40 km2. History The oldest evidence provides an indication ...

and

, while spa towns and villages, such as Luso, Buçaco and

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

are commonplace. Although it ceased serving as the capital of

in the 13th century, Coimbra retains considerable importance as the centre of the former Beira province, now designated the

Centro Centro may refer to: Places Brazil *Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil *Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Duq ...

region. It is considered alongside

one of the two most important regional centres in Portugal outside the Lisbon and

metropole A metropole (from the Greek ''metropolis'' for "mother city") is the homeland, central territory or the state exercising power over a colonial empire. From the 19th century, the English term ''metropole'' was mainly used in the scope of ...

s, the centre for the whole middle region of the country. With a dense urban grid, the municipality is known primarily for the city of Coimbra, itself famous for its monuments, churches, libraries, museums, parks, nightlife, healthcare and shopping facilities. Above all, its cultural life, oriented around the

, has historically attracted the nation's

notable Notability is the property of being worthy of notice, having fame, or being considered to be of a high degree of interest, significance, or distinction. It also refers to the capacity to be such. Persons who are notable due to public responsibi ...

writers,

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

academics An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

and aristocracy, securing its reputation as the ''Lusa-Atenas'' (Lusitanian

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

Ecoregions/protected areas

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 4

The western edge of Coimbra is covered by the '' Reserva Natural do Paul de Arzila'' (''Arzila Swamp Natural Reserve''), which is designated both as a ''Special Protection Zone'' ( pt, Zona de Protecção Especial) and ''Special Conservation Zone'' ( pt, Zona Especial de Conservação), coincident with the civil parish of Arzila (sometimes referred to as the ''Paul de Arzila'' or ''marsh of Arzila''). It is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

that has sheltered migratory birds, and supports other animal and plant species; this has included predominantly avian species, such as the:

Eurasian reed warbler The common reed warbler (''Acrocephalus scirpaceus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It breeds across Europe into the temperate western Palaearctic where it is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also a res ...

(''Acrocephalus scirpaceus''),

sedge warbler The sedge warbler (''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus'') is an Old World warbler in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. It is a medium-sized warbler with a brown, streaked back and wings and a distinct pale supercilium. Sedge warblers are migratory, crossing ...

(''Acrocephalus schoenobaenus''), melodious warbler (''Hippolais polyglotta''),

willow warbler The willow warbler (''Phylloscopus trochilus'') is a very common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe and the Palearctic, from Ireland east to the Anadyr River basin in eastern Siberia. It is strong ...

(''Phylloscopus trochilus''),

little bittern The little bittern or common little bittern (''Ixobrychus minutus'') is a wading bird in the heron family, Ardeidae. ''Ixobrychus'' is from Ancient Greek ''ixias'', a reed-like plant and ''brukhomai'', to bellow, and ''minutus'' is Latin for "sm ...

(''Ixobrychus minutus''),

great reed warbler The great reed warbler (''Acrocephalus arundinaceus'') is a Eurasian passerine in the genus '' Acrocephalus''. The genus name ''Acrocephalus'' is from Ancient Greek ''akros'', "highest", and ''kephale'', "head". It is possible that Naumann and ...

(''Acrocephalus arundinaceus''), and the

Savi's warbler Savi's warbler (''Locustella luscinioides'') is a species of Old World warbler in the grass warbler genus ''Locustella''. It breeds in Europe and the western Palearctic. It is migratory, wintering in northern and sub-Saharan Africa. This small ...

(''Locustella luscinioides''). The 482 hectare area, under threat from industrial, residential and

agricultural pollution Agricultural pollution refers to biotic material, biotic and abiotic byproducts of agriculture, farming practices that result in pollution, contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to human ...

, expansion of aquatic plants and

eutrophication Eutrophication is the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes progressively enriched with minerals and nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. It has also been defined as "nutrient-induced increase in phytopla ...

, has forced the governmental reorganization of land use in order to promote models of sustainability, and rural use that does not affect the migratory and aquatic bird populations. The municipal government has also promoted the installation and maintenance of various parks,

playgrounds A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people w ...

gardens A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

and forests, including the development of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra (considered the fifth oldest in the world), the '' Mata Nacional do Choupal'', the ''Mata Nacional de Vale de Canas'', ''Jardim da Sereia'' (also known as ''Santa Cruz Garden''), '' Penedo da Saudade'', ''Parque Manuel Braga'', ''Parque Verde do Mondego'', ''Choupalinho'', and the 19th century Quinta das Lágrimas estate and gardens. Complementing these natural spaces are the riverside parks and bathing areas that line the Mondego, including the river beaches of Palheiros do Zorro, in the parish of Torres do Mondego. The city is on

the Portuguese Way The Portuguese Way ( pt, Caminho Português, es, Camino Portugués) is the name of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes starting in Portugal. It begins at Porto or Lisbon. From Porto, along the Douro River, pilgrims travel north crossing t ...

of the Road of St James (Caminho de Santiago).

Climate

Coimbra has a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Csb'') in a transition to a hot-summer (''Csa'') version of the interior of

Central Portugal The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco ...

. In winter, temperatures range between at day and at night and can drop below occasionally (around 10 days a year), while summer temperatures range between at day and at night and can reach or more in hotter days. Coimbra has around 32 days a year with maximum temperatures above . The lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded in Coimbra were on 27 January 1976 and . Precipitation is abundant throughout the year except for July and August. Despite being relatively distant from the coast, Coimbra also has a marked Atlantic influence due to the

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river which stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls, and which experiences flooding during periods of high discharge.Goudi ...

of the

which crosses the city, making both its winters and summers milder than they would otherwise be. This influence also makes cold waves less frequent and less intense, however, days with minimum negative temperatures and cold waves are still present occasionally. Topography is also an important factor to consider in regard to nighttime temperatures, the presence of cold air lakes, in topographically depressed areas at certain synoptic situations, can also lead to pronounced colder temperatures.

Human geography

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 18 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Almalaguês * Antuzede e Vil de Matos * Assafarge e Antanhol * Brasfemes * Ceira * Cernache * Coimbra (Sé Nova, Santa Cruz, Almedina e São Bartolomeu) * Eiras e São Paulo de Frades * São João do Campo * São Martinho de Árvore e Lamarosa *

São Martinho do Bispo e Ribeira de Frades São Martinho do Bispo e Ribeira de Frades (officially União das Freguesias de São Martinho do Bispo e Ribeira de Frades) is a civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The p ...

* São Silvestre * Souselas e Botão * Santa Clara e Castelo Viegas *

Taveiro, Ameal e Arzila Taveiro, Ameal e Arzila (officially União das Freguesias de Taveiro, Ameal e Arzila) is a civil parish in the municipality of Coimbra, Portugal. The population in 2021 was 3,997, in an area of 24.34 km2. It was formed on 28 January 2013 by the mer ...

* Torres do Mondego * Trouxemil e Torre de Vilela As of 2001, the municipality of Coimbra had a population of 148,443 inhabitants (covering an area of 319.4 km²), reflecting a 6.8% increase relative to 1991 (139,052 residents), while the number of families increased 17.1% in the same period. This was mainly concentrated in the parish of

Sé Nova SE, Se, or Sé may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Sé'' (album), by Lúnasa, 2006 * Se (instrument), a traditional Chinese musical instrument Businesses and organizations * Sea Ltd (NYSE: SE), tech conglomerate headquartered in Singapore ...

, while the remaining administrative divisions accounted for a range of 78.54 to 5069.2 inhabitants per kilometre square. Seniors and youth (age 0 to 14 years) represent a minority of the population (16.5% and 31.1%); the 25 to 64 cohort accounts for 55% of the active population. While per 100 inhabitants, seniors actually comprise 21.6% of this population, the birth rate (9.3%) is superior the mortality rate in the communities of Coimbra, which is actually greater than other municipalities in the Baixo Mondego subregion. The municipality of Coimbra has a resident population of 157,510 inhabitants, and seasonal population of approximately 200,000 residents. Between 1864 and 2001, the municipal population tripled (following the trend in the rest of the country when the nation's population doubled), while between 1991 and 2001 its population increased 6.75% (Portugal's population increased 4.08% in the same period). On average, over 43,000 people flow to Coimbra every day to study and work. About 460,000 inhabitants live in the

, consisting of 19 municipalities comprising a territory of . Internally, the network and location of public service/sector institutions (such as police stations, fire stations, public finance and notary services) have been located within of the resident population, while most tertiary shops and retail capture between 43.4% and 100% of the market. Mini-markets and corner shops cover 100% of the population; generally, the longest distance travelled between shops is (for pastry shops). Restaurants are usually within 74.2% of the population, and refreshment shops (such as bars and snack bars) routinely cover 100% of the market. Commerce and vestuary shops range from coverage of 43.4% (for glasses) to 91.4% (of clothing); the largest distance that resident population requires to travel is for electro-domestics and auto-mobile purchases. Repair services, which cover the largest part of the civil parishes, and specifically auto repair shops, cover 97.1% of the market. Public transport covers 90.3% of the parishes, with 93.5% of the population; 61.3% have taxi services (capturing 78.8% of the population); public buses serve 67.7% of the parishes (or 85% of the population); while rail services affect 35.5% of the parishes (serving 29.7% of the market); while unequipped parishes, on average, lie within of such services. Postal services are provided in 15 parishes (48.4%), corresponding to 77.9% of the population, while 98.6% receive home distribution. Similarly, public telephones have a 94.6% coverage of the population.

Economy

The wealth of the city rests mostly on the

with about 23,000 students – the city has a total of 35,000 higher education students considering the other higher education institutions based there – but also in shopping, technology and

health sciences The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences are those sciences which focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple ac ...

industry, administrative offices, financial services, law firms and specialised medical care. The city has many private clinics, medical offices and two large independent state hospital centres: the '' H.U.C. – Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra'', which is a

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

, and the '' C.H.C. – Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra'', which includes a general hospital. Coimbra has also the regional branch of the national cancer hospital – the '' I.P.O. – Instituto Português de Oncologia'', as well as a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

. The Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legal, the state-run forensic science institute of Portugal, is headquartered in Coimbra. Notable companies based in the municipality of Coimbra include

software companies The software industry includes businesses for development, maintenance and publication of software that are using different business models, mainly either "license/maintenance based" (on-premises) or "Cloud based" (such as SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, MBa ...

Critical Software Critical Software is a Portuguese international information systems and software company, headquartered in Coimbra. The company was established in 1998, from the University of Coimbra's business incubator and technology transfer centre, Institut ...

and Ciberbit which have their global headquarters in the city, mechanical and electronics engineering company Active Space Technologies,

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', "remote", an ...

and

Machine to Machine Machine to machine (M2M) is direct communication between devices using any communications channel, including wired and wireless. Machine to machine communication can include industrial instrumentation, enabling a sensor or meter to communicate th ...

company ISA, Cimpor's cement factory in Souselas (CIMPOR Souselas), the pan-European service facility of Olympus Corporation, the pharmaceuticals companies Bluepharma and

BASI ''Basi'' is a native ''Ilocano'' fermented alcoholic beverage or wine made with sugarcane juice, particularly those produced in the region of ''Northern Luzon'' particularly in ''Ilocos Region''. This wine is processed in ''“burnay”'' ( ...

, the iron

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

Fucoli-Somepal and several

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

s, food processing (

Probar Probar - Indústria Alimentar, SA is a Economy of Portugal, Portuguese company headquartered in Coimbra, which produces cold meat products. Its products include a wide range of processed meat, like sausages, smoked meats, sliced and wafer thin meats ...

produces cold meat products and Dan Cake produces

sponge cake Sponge cake is a light cake made with egg whites, flour and sugar, sometimes leavened with baking powder. Some sponge cakes do not contain egg yolks, like angel food cake, but most of them do. Sponge cakes, leavened with beaten eggs, originated ...

s and swiss rolls), textiles, wine, civil and engineering construction, architecture, public works and housing construction firms.

Handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

industry is well represented by traditional

tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads ma ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

manufacture, and the surroundings of the city have besides

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

, dynamic horticulture production,

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

and livestock raising. The '' Instituto Pedro Nunes'' (Pedro Nunes Institute), a

business incubator Business incubator is an organization that helps startup companies and individual entrepreneurs to develop their businesses by providing a fullscale range of services starting with management training and office space and ending with venture c ...

, dynamically hosts several start-ups which are usually dedicated to technology-related businesses and became independent spin-off companies headquartered across the whole region. There is a move by municipal authorities to bring in more innovation and high-technology businesses, through initiatives such as the Coimbra Innovation Park, with the objective of promoting innovation and companies that promote research and development (such as nanotechnology company Innovnano, a subsidiary of

Companhia União Fabril The Companhia União Fabril (CUF) was one of the largest and oldest Portuguese conglomerates from the 1930s to 1974 and later a chemical corporation which was by then a part of Grupo José de Mello founded in 1988. After many acquisitions, mergers ...

Coimbra has a fresh produce open-air market on every 7th and 23rd days of the month at ''Feira dos 7 e dos 23'', and a large fresh produce market in downtown at ''Mercado D. Pedro V''. The ''Baixa'' (downtown) of Coimbra has many coffeehouses and bakeries, and features several specialty shops selling all kind of products in typical old-fashioned architectural surroundings. Large commercial facilities with car park, include a medium-sized shopping centre (''CoimbraShopping''); two larger shopping centres with

hypermarket A hypermarket (sometimes called a hyperstore, supercentre or superstore) is a big-box store combining a supermarket and a department store. The result is an expansive retail facility carrying a wide range of products under one roof, including ...

, restaurants, movie theaters and several shops with a selection of some of Portugal's and the world's most famous and stylish international brands include "Dolce Vita Coimbra" designed by the American planning and design firm, Suttle Mindlin and ''Forum Coimbra''; and two

retail park A retail park is a type of shopping centre found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in the United Kingdom and other European countries. They form a key aspect of European retail geographies, alongside indoor shopping centres, standal ...

s found on the fringes of the city, offering an alternative to the busy city centre (''Retail Park Mondego'' in Taveiro, and ''Coimbra Retail Park'' in Eiras). Dolce Vita Coimbra was the recipient of the 2006 MIPIM International Design Award; the 2006 ICSC International Design Award; and the 2006 ICSC European Design Award proving that Portugal and Coimbra offer both historical and thoroughly modern shopping experiences.

Transportation

The two banks of Mondego River at Coimbra, are linked by three main bridges: the ''Ponte do Açude'', the ''Ponte de Santa Clara'' (which is the oldest) and '' Ponte Rainha Santa'', also known as ''Ponte Europa''. The ''Ponte Pedonal de Pedro e Inês'' is the most recently constructed bridge and the only footbridge in the city. The city is internally connected by an extensive bus network, the SMTUC (''Serviços Municipalizados de Transportes Urbanos de Coimbra'', Coimbra Municipality Urban Transport Services) and the Coimbra trolleybus system (the only such system in Portugal). In the past, the city also had a tram network (some are now parked inside a transportation museum).

Taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choi ...

s are also available, and are recognizable as cream or black and green (black car with green rooftop) taxis. The city is a hub for interregional bus services for all the country and abroad. A light-rail metro system, Metro Mondego, was proposed however the project was abandoned at the height of Portuguese financial crisis. CoimbraA-Station

Coimbra has several rail stations. The principal station ''Coimbra-B'' is on the main line between

and Lisbon. In addition, the train-hotel Lusitania connects Coimbra and Madrid every night. From this station, a small spur runs to ''Coimbra-A'', the main station in the city centre. A small regional rail line (''Linha da Lousã'') also ran from ''Coimbra Parque'' at the south edge of the city centre. From Coimbra-Parque was possible to travel to

and Serpins, among others. The line was closed for upgrading as part of the Metro Mondego project and was never reopened when the Metro Mondego project was abandoned, but there is local pressure for the line to be reopened. It is also possible to travel by train between Coimbra and

(''Ramal de Alfarelos''), and Coimbra, Guarda and

Vilar Formoso Vilar Formoso is a town and civil parish in the municipality of Almeida, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,219, in an area of 15.14 km2. One of the most important crossings on the Portugal–Spain border is located just next to the to ...

(''Linha da Beira Alta'' nternational. Coimbra is served by the A1 motorway, which connects Lisbon to

. A regional aerodrome is in Cernache ('' Aeródromo Municipal Bissaya Barreto'') (CBP) CO southwest of the centre. With a runway and

flight information service A flight information service (FIS) is a form of air traffic service which is available to any aircraft within a flight information region (FIR), as agreed internationally by ICAO. It is defined as information pertinent to the safe and efficient ...

until sunset, this regional airport has all the fundamental facilities for private flights. The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Coimbra, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 35 min. 2.4% of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 12 min, and 16.8% of riders wait for over 20 min on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 2 km, and 0% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.

Politics and government

Education

Coimbra has been called ''A cidade dos estudantes'' (The city of the students) or ''Lusa-Atenas'' (Lusitan-Athens), mainly because it is the site of the oldest and one of the largest universities in Portugal – the

, a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

whose origins can be traced back to the 13th century. Nowadays, it has students from 70 different nationalities; almost 10% of its students are foreigners, making it Portugal's most international university. Coimbra University robes burian 5588

Coimbra is also the place where the oldest and biggest university students' union of Portugal was founded – the ''

Associação Académica de Coimbra The Associação Académica de Coimbra (AAC) is the students' union of the University of Coimbra (UC). Founded in Coimbra on November 3, 1887, it is the oldest students' union in Portugal. It is also the biggest Portuguese students' union belongi ...

'' (Academic Association of Coimbra), established in 1887. As well, there are some other schools and institutes of higher education in the city: the ''

Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra The Polytechnical Institute of Coimbra (IPC - Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra) is a public polytechnic institute of higher education in Coimbra, Portugal. It was created by decree of 1979, but its effective start up was only in 1988 through the cr ...

'', a public

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educatio ...

institute; the ''

Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra The Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra (ESEnfC) is a public nursing school in Coimbra, Portugal. History It was created after the 2004 decree law ''Decreto-Lei nº 175/2004 de 21 de Julho'' through the merging of the two previous nursing sch ...

'', a public nursing school; and some private higher education institutions such as the ''Instituto Superior Miguel Torga''; the ''Instituto Superior Bissaya Barreto''; the ''Escola Universitária Vasco da Gama'' and finally, the ''Escola Universitária das Artes de Coimbra'', an

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...

. A large number of higher education students from all of Portugal chose Coimbra's higher learning institutions to study, due to the wide availability of degrees offered in different fields, the student-friendly environment of the city, and the prestige of many of its learning institutions allied to the ancient tradition of Coimbra as the historical capital of higher studies in Portugal. The city has also a large number of public and private basic and secondary schools, among these some of the best-ranked in the country, like ''Escola Secundária Infanta D. Maria'' (public), ''Escola Secundária José Falcão'' (public), "Escola EB2/3 Martim de Freitas" (public), ''Colégio Rainha Santa Isabel'' (private) and ''Colégio de São Teotónio'' (private), as well as several kindergartens and nurseries. There is also the Coimbra Hotel and Tourism School.

Architecture

Civic

* Forest/Moorish City of Antanhol ( pt, Cidade Da Mata do Antanhol), Antanhol * Palace of Sub-Ripas ( pt, Paço de Sub-Ripas), Almedina * São Sebastião Aqueduct/Garden Arches ( pt, Aqueducto de São Sebastião),

( pt, Paços da Universidade de Coimbra),

Military

* Arch and Tower of the Almedina ( pt, Arco e Torre da Almedina), Almedina

Religious

* Cathedral (Nova) of Coimbra ( pt, Sé Nova de Coimbra),

* Cathedral (Velha) of Coimbra ( pt, Sé Velha de Coimbra), Almedina * Chapel of the Treasurer ( pt, Capela do Tesoureiro),

* Church and Convent of São Marcos ( pt, Igreja e Convento de São Marcos), São Silvestres * Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça ( pt, Igreja da Nossa Senhora da Graça), Santa Cruz * Church of São Domingos ( pt, Igreja de São Domingos), Santa Cruz * Church of São Salvador ( pt, Igreja de São Salvador),

* Church of São Tiago ( pt, Igreja de São Tiago), São Bartolomeu * College of São Agostinho ( pt, Misericórdia de Coimbra/Colégio de São Agostinho),

* College of São Jerónimo ( pt, Colégio de São Jerónimo),

* College of São Tomas ( pt, Portas do Colégio de São Tomas),

* Cross of São Marcos ( pt, Cruzeiro de São Marcos), São Silvestres * Episcopal Palace of Coimbra ( pt, Paço Episcopal de Coimbra),

* Manga Cloister ( pt, Claustro de Manga), Santa Cruz *

( pt, Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova), Santa Clara *

( pt, Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Velha), Santa Clara * Monastery of Santa Cruz ( pt, Mosteiro de Santa Cruz), Santa Cruz * Monastery of Santa Maria de Celas ( pt, Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Celas), Santo António de Olivais * Monastery of São João das Donas ( pt, Mosteiro de São João das Donas), Santa Cruz * (Former) Church of Carmo ( pt, Igreja do Carmo), Santa Cruz * (Former) Portico of the Church of Santa Ana ( pt, Portais da Extinta Igreja de Santa Ana),

* Church of Saint Bartolomew, (Igreja São Bartolomeu) File:SeNova1.jpg, Sé Nova cathedral File:Sé Velha de Coimbra.jpg, Sé Velha cathedral File:Igr santiago 2.JPG, São Tiago church File:Sta clara nova 1.JPG, Santa Clara-a-Nova monastery File:Monastery of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz.jpg,

Santa Cruz monastery The Monastery of the Holy Cross ( pt, Mosteiro da Santa Cruz, links=no), also known as the Church of the Holy Cross, is a National Monument in Coimbra, Portugal. Because the first two kings of Portugal are buried in the church it was granted the s ...

Culture

Coimbra celebrates its municipal holiday on 4 July, in honour of Queen Elizabeth of Portugal (spouse of the King Denis); a religious and civic celebration that celebrated the life of the former Queen, that includes a fireworks display following the night-time march of the penitents. Coimbra houses the following cultural institutions: *

Machado de Castro Museum The National Museum Machado de Castro ( pt, Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro) is an art museum in Coimbra, Portugal, named after the renowned Portuguese sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro. It first opened in 1913 and its latest renovation (200 ...

, the second most important one in Portugal, housed in the former Episcopal Palace *

University of Coimbra General Library The University of Coimbra General Library ''(Biblioteca Geral da Universidade de Coimbra)'' is the central library of the University of Coimbra, in Coimbra, Portugal. Even before 1537, the year when the university was definitively established ...

, Portugal's second biggest library, after the National Library in Lisbon *The 18th-century Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra

Coimbra fado

The '' Fado de Coimbra'' is a highly stylised genre of ''

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...

'' music originated in Coimbra. Among its most notable and historical adherents are guitarist

Carlos Paredes Carlos Paredes ComSE (; 16 February 1925 – 23 July 2004) was a virtuoso Portuguese guitar player and composer. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of Portuguese guitar of all-time. Born in Coimbra, Portugal, in a family with a ...

and singer

Zeca Afonso Zeca may refer to: * José Afonso (1929–1987), Portuguese folk and political musician also known mononymously as Zeca * Zeca (footballer, born 1946), full name Jose Luiz Ferreira Rodrigues, Brazilian football manager known mononymously as Zeca ...

, while the ''

Orfeon Académico de Coimbra Orfeon Académico de Coimbra (O.A.C.) is the oldest and one of the most famous academic choirs in Portugal. It was established in 1880 by the then University of Coimbra's law student João Arroio, with the name ''Sociedade Choral do Orpheon Académ ...

'' (the oldest and most famous academic

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

in Portugal) and the ''

'' are important organizations that promote the culture and stylings of this subgenre of music. In addition, Coimbra has a contemporary music, boasting several live music venues, and some of the most popular clubs and music festivals in Portugal. Moreover, the''Conservatório de Música de Coimbra'', musical departments of the

and the music programmes of the Faculty of Letters are noted by many of top music schools in the country. The ''

'' is an autonomous organization of the students' union ''Associação Académica de Coimbra'', established in 1880 by a law student of the University of Coimbra (UC), and the ''fado'' section of UC's ''Associação Académica de Coimbra'' itself, are important organizations in Coimbra fado promotion and preservation. According to tradition, to applaud fado in Lisbon one would clap his hands, while in Coimbra cough as if clearing the throat is the typical way.

Student festivals

Coimbra is also known for its university students' festivals. Two are held every year. The first one, ''Latada'' or '' Festa das Latas'' ("The Tin Can Parade") is a

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

parade that occurs at the beginning of the academic year, and is a welcome to the new university students (''Caloiros''). Coimbra Queima das Fitas

The ''Festa das Latas'' goes back to the 19th century when the Coimbra students felt the need to express their joy at finishing the school year in as loud a way as possible, using everything at their disposal that would make noise, namely tin cans. The highlight of this festival, which now takes place at the beginning of the academic year (November) is the special parade known as the ''Latada''. After marching through the streets of the city the new students are "baptised" in the Mondego River thus entering into the Coimbra academic fraternity. The students from the penultimate year, normally the 3rd year's students, are awarded their ''Grelos'' (a small ribbon). The ''Grelo'' is a small, woollen ribbon with the colour (s) of the student's faculty that is attached to a student's briefcase. Previous to this, at the morning the students must have visited the Dom Pedro V market where they must get a

turnip The turnip or white turnip ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''rapa'') is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, fleshy taproot. The word ''turnip'' is a compound of ''turn'' as in turned/rounded on a lathe and ...

to sustain the ''Caloiros'' during the day's festivities. Besides the tin cans they have tied to their legs, the new students wear all kinds of costumes made up according to the creativity and imagination of their ''godmothers'' or ''godfathers'' who are older students. They also carry placards with ironic criticisms alluding to certain teachers, the educational system, national events and leaders. The second one, ''

Queima das Fitas The Queima das Fitas (Portuguese for ''Ribbon Burning'') is a traditional festivity of the students of some Portuguese universities, organized originally by the students of the University of Coimbra. History The first ''Queima das Fitas'' was or ...

'' ("The Burning of the Ribbons"), takes place at the end of the second semester (usually in the beginning of May) and it is one of the biggest student parties in all Europe. It lasts for eight days, one for each University of Coimbra's Faculty: ''Letras'' (Humanities), ''Direito'' (Law), ''Medicina'' (Medicine), ''Ciências e Tecnologia'' (Sciences and Technology), ''Farmácia'' (Pharmacy), ''Economia'' (Economics), ''Psicologia e Ciências da Educação'' (Psychology and Education Sciences) and ''Ciências do Desporto e Educação Física'' (Sports Sciences and Physical Education). Although being University of Coimbra's festivals, other higher education students of Coimbra such as the polytechnic's students or private institution's students, are invited every year by the University of Coimbra students who manage and organise this events, to participate in the ''Tin Can Parade'' and also in the ''Burning of the Ribbons''. The academic festivities are opened to the entire city community and attract a large number of national and international tourists as well.

Music acts

Coimbra has a lively music scene that caters for most tastes with many festivals and events beyond the academic festivals, the traditional

Coimbra fado Coimbra Fado (Portuguese: ''Fado de Coimbra'') is a genre of fado originating in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. While adopted by students at the University of Coimbra, and sometimes known as Student Fado (''Fado de Estudante''), it is usually ...

genre and

Artur Paredes Artur Paredes (10 May 1899 – 20 December 1980) was a Portuguese guitar player in the city of Coimbra. He was the natural son of Gonçalo Rodrigues Paredes and Maria do Céu."Artur Paredes."Museu Do Fado March 2009. Accessed October 18, 2018. ...

Adriano Correia de Oliveira Adriano Maria Correia Gomes de Oliveira, GCIH, ComL, or just Adriano (April 9, 1942 – October 16, 1982) was a Portuguese musician, born to a conservative Roman Catholic family in Porto. His family moved to Avintes after his birth. He went to ...

and

's musical heritage. It boasts several live music venues, and some of the most popular club nights and music festivals in Portugal. Moreover, the Conservatório de Música de Coimbra, the music-related departments of the

and the music programmes of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Coimbra are regularly cited among the top music schools in the country. Modern bands and artists with some degree of recognition in the Portuguese music scene include

André Sardet André Miraldo Sardet Pires is a Portuguese singer and musician, born in the city of Coimbra on 8 January 1976. ''Acústico'' (2006), his most successful work, sold over 120,000 copies and was recorded live at Associação Académica de Coimbr ...

The Legendary Tigerman Paulo Furtado (born 9 September 1970) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter who performs under the stage name The Legendary Tigerman. Furtado started his music career in the lates 1980s when he joined the psychobilly band Tédio Boys. After leaving ...

, JP Simões (from Belle Chase Hotel and Quinteto Tati) and Os Quatro e Meia. Lux Records, a Portuguese independent record label founded by Rui Ferreira in 1996, is based in Coimbra and has produced the works of many noteworthy music artists and bands of the city since then, including Belle Chase Hotel and The Legendary Tigerman.

Media

The

Centro region The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco, ...

is the third-largest regional media market in Portugal. The Portuguese public radio and television broadcaster ''

Rádio e Televisão de Portugal Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) is the public service broadcasting organisation of Portugal. It operates four national television channels and three national radio stations, as well as several satellite and cable offerings. The current co ...

'' has regional offices and studios in Coimbra. The ''

Diário de Coimbra ''Diário de Coimbra'' is the main newspaper of Coimbra, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Eu ...

'' and the '' Diário As Beiras'' are the two major newspapers based in Coimbra. The students' union of the University of Coimbra has also notable media like the ''

Rádio Universidade de Coimbra Coimbra University Radio (Portuguese: Rádio Universidade de Coimbra - RUC) is a university radio station of the Coimbra Academic Association (students' union) of the University of Coimbra in Coimbra, Portugal. It broadcasts on 107.9 FM (also broa ...

'' radio station and ''A Cabra'' newspaper.

Leisure

Accommodation

There is a wide variety of accommodation available, ranging from the

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

-park or one of the many inexpensive

hostels A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared ...

to the charming downtown

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

and international chain hotels.

Parks and gardens

Coimbra has many attractive and pleasant green spaces such as parks,

and forests. The most famous park in the city is probably the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra, the fifth oldest in the world. The ''

Portugal dos Pequenitos The Portugal dos Pequenitos (translated as ''Portugal of/for the Little Ones'') is a miniature park in the Freguesia, civil parish of Santa Clara e Castelo Viegas, in the Concelho, municipality of Coimbra, in the Portugal, Portuguese Coimbra (distr ...

'' park is an educational

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

built during the Estado Novo. Its buildings are scale copies of Portuguese architectural landmarks and were completed in the 1950s. The city's green areas also include the '' Mata Nacional do Choupal'', the ''Mata Nacional de Vale de Canas'', ''Jardim da Sereia'' (also known as Jardim de Santa Cruz), '' Penedo da Saudade'', ''Parque Manuel Braga'', ''Parque Verde do Mondego'' and ''Choupalinho''. Quinta das Lágrimas, a 19th-century palace and estate, which was transformed into a hotel and golf resort, contains also a large park. Also noteworthy is the '' Paul de Arzila'', a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

occupying an area in Coimbra municipality (in Arzila), and in the neighbouring municipalities of

and

. Not far away from the urban centre, close to the city itself, and fully set in the municipality of Coimbra, there are plenty of mountain and river landscapes. These include the river beach of Palheiros do Zorro in the parish of Torres do Mondego and the Rebolim river beach even closer to the city downtown. One of Europe's tallest trees, ''Karri Knight'', can be found in the municipality of Coimbra in Vale de Canas. It is an ''

Eucalyptus diversicolor ''Eucalyptus diversicolor'', commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bark ...

'' of 73 meters height and of 5.71 meters girth.

Twin towns – sister cities

Coimbra is twinned with: * Aix-en-Provence, France (1982/85) * Beira, Mozambique (1997) *

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

, United States (1983–84) *

Curitiba Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná in Brazil. The city's population was 1,948,626 , making it the eighth most populous city in Brazil and the largest in Brazil's South Region. The Curitiba Metropolitan area ...

, Brazil (1977/95) * Daman, India (2003–04) * Dili, East Timor (2002) *

Esch-sur-Alzette Esch-sur-Alzette (; lb, Esch-Uelzecht ; german: Esch an der Alzette or ''Esch an der Alzig'') is the second city of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the country's second-most populous commune, with a population of 35,040 inhabitants, . It lies ...

, Luxembourg (2004–05) *

Fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

, Morocco (1988) *

Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...

, China (2004) *

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

, Italy (1998/2000) * Poitiers, France (1979) *

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Herit ...

, Spain (1980–81) * Santa Clara, United States (1971–72) *

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

, Spain (1994) * Santos, Brazil (1981) * São Vicente, Cape Verde (1994–95) *

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

, Spain (2004–05)

Sport

Coimbra is home to a large

multisports club A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

, the University of Coimbra's students' union ''

'' (known simply as Académica), which is involved in a wide array of sports, such as rugby, volleyball, handball, rink hockey, basketball, association football, baseball, tennis, swimming, rowing, among many others. It also has a professional football club that currently plays in the Liga 3, the third-highest division of the

Portuguese football league system The Portuguese football league system consists of several leagues bound together hierarchically by promotion and relegation. Reserve teams are allowed to compete in the main league system, as is the case with most of Europe. However, they are not ...

, at the ''

Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Estádio Cidade de Coimbra is a stadium in Coimbra, Portugal. This stadium belongs to the Municipality of Coimbra and is mainly used by the Académica de Coimbra's football team. The stadium was rebuilt, expanded, and modernized to host some UEF ...

''. Another sports club with tradition in the city is the '' Clube de Futebol União de Coimbra'', which football team plays in the Campeonato de Portugal. Estadio Cidade de Coimbra

The ''

'' (30,000 seats), which was a site of

2004 European Football Championship The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football competition contested by the men's national teams of UEFA member associations. The ...

and includes olympic swimming pools (''Piscinas Municipais''), as well as a multiuse sports facility ('' Pavilhão Multiusos de Coimbra''), located both near the stadium; the ''

Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição Estádio Municipal Sérgio Conceição (Sérgio Conceição Municipal Stadium) is a football stadium in Taveiro, in the city of Coimbra, Portugal. Built in 2002, it has 2500 seats and was named after Sérgio Conceição, a football player born i ...

''; and the '' Estádio Universitário de Coimbra'', an extensive sports complex of the university on Mondego's left bank, are the main athletics and sports venues in Coimbra. The ''Pavilhão Jorge Anjinho'' sports arena (headquarters of ''Associação Académica de Coimbra''), ''Pavilhão dos Olivais'', and ''Pavilhão do C.F. União de Coimbra'', are other places where some of the most important indoor sports clashes involving teams of Coimbra are played. Major sports teams based in Coimbra include:

Notable individuals

The following people were born, died or otherwise lived within the municipality of Coimbra: Afonso I de Portugal

Royalty & Nobility

* Cindazunda (5th century), daughter of Hermenerico, king of the Suebi, and wife of

Attaces Addac or Attaces (died 418) was king of the western Alans in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal). In 409, the Alans settled in the provinces of Lusitania and Carthaginiensis: ''Alani Lusitaniam et Carthaginiensem provincias, ...

, king of the Alans. This Suebi princess is immortalized in history as a symbol of the city of Coimbra, in Portugal, and her image appears in the official coat of arms of Coimbra. *

(ca.1109 – 1185 in

), first

Portuguese monarch This is a list of Portuguese monarchs who ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Portugal, in 1139, to the deposition of the Portuguese monarchy and creation of the Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Through the n ...

, as

Afonso I Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', dependi ...

from 1139 to 1185, established his residence in the seat of

; he was buried in the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra. * Sancho I (1154 in Sé Nova – 1212 in Sé Nova), second King of Portugal, 1185– 1211, known as ''the Populator'' *

Afonso II Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

(1185 in Sé Nova – 1223 in Sé Nova), third

, 1211-1223 known as ''the Fat''. * Sancho II (1209 in Sé Nova - 1248), King of Portugal from 1223 to 1248, known as ''the Pious''. *

Afonso III Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ( ...

(1210 in Sé Nova – 1279), first ''King of Portugal and the Algarve'', from 1249. * Luís de Alpoim (13th C) a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, ambassador to England, France and the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

* Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271–1336), wife of King Denis I; buried at the

. * Pedro I (1320 in Sé Nova – 1367), King of Portugal, 1357-1367, known as ''the Just'' * Ferdinand I (1345–1383), King of Portugal, 1367 to 1383, known as ''the Handsome'' * Pedro Annes d'Alpoim (ca.1475-1500s) a nobleman, conquistador, an early settler of

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

Public Service

* Fernando Martins de Bulhões (1195 – 1231), Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. *

Francisco Álvares Francisco Álvares ( – 1536-1541) was a Portuguese missionary and explorer. In 1515 he traveled to Ethiopia as part of the Portuguese embassy to emperor Lebna Dengel accompanied by returning Ethiopian ambassador Matheus. The embassy arriv ...

(ca.1465 in Sé Nova – ca.1541), a missionary, explorer and diplomat who travelled to

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. * Pedro Nunes (ca.1502 – 1578 in Sé Nova), a mathematician,

cosmographer The term cosmography has two distinct meanings: traditionally it has been the protoscience of mapping the general features of the cosmos, heaven and Earth; more recently, it has been used to describe the ongoing effort to determine the large-scal ...

and academic *

Mem de Sá Mem de Sá (c. 1500 – 2 March 1572) was a Governor-General of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1557 to 1572. He was born in Coimbra, Kingdom of Portugal, around 1500, the year of discovery of Brazil by a naval fleet commanded by Pedro Á ...

(ca.1500 in Sé Nova – 1572), third Governor-General of Brazil, from 1557-1572. * Melchior Carneiro (1516-1583) a Jesuit missionary bishop, one of the first Jesuit bishops. * Diogo de Paiva de Andrade (1528–1575) a celebrated Portuguese theologian. * Saint

José de Anchieta José de Anchieta y Díaz de Clavijo (Joseph of Anchieta) (19 March 1534 – 9 June 1597) was a Spanish Jesuit missionary to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in the second half of the 16th century. A highly influential figure in Brazil's h ...

(1534-1597), Spanish Jesuit,

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and writer, studied in Coimbra. *

Francisco Macedo Francisco Macedo (born at Coimbra, Portugal, 1596; died Padua, 1 May 1681), known as S. Augustino, was a Portuguese Franciscan theologian. Life He entered the Jesuit Order in 1610, which however he left in 1638 in order to join the Discalced Au ...

(1596-1681), known as S. Augustino, a Portuguese Franciscan theologian. *

Joaquim António de Aguiar Joaquim António de Aguiar (Coimbra, 24 August 1792 – Lisbon, 26 May 1884) was a Portuguese politician. He held several relevant political posts during the Portuguese constitutional monarchy, namely as leader of the Cartists and later of the ' ...

(1792–1884) a politician, three times Prime Minister of Portugal. * João Correia Ayres de Campos (1818–1885), archaeologist,

palaeographer Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US; ultimately from grc-gre, , ''palaiós'', "old", and , ''gráphein'', "to write") is the study of historic writing systems and the deciphering and dating of historical manuscripts, including the analysi ...

, antiquarian, medievalist and bibliophile. * Ayres de Campos, 2nd Count of Ameal (1877–1952) a politician and career diplomat *

Sister Lúcia Lúcia de Jesus Rosa dos Santos, OCD, (28 March 1907 – 13 February 2005) also known as ''Lúcia of Fátima'' and by her religious name ''Maria Lúcia of Jesus and of the Immaculate Heart'', was a Portuguese Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

(1907 – 2005 in Sé Nova), one of the three visionary children of Our Lady of Fátima, lived at the Carmelite Convent of Saint Teresa *

Álvaro Cunhal Álvaro Barreirinhas Cunhal (; 10 November 1913 – 13 June 2005) was a Portuguese communist revolutionary and politician. He was one of the major opponents of the dictatorial regime of the '' Estado Novo''. He served as secretary-general of the P ...

(1913—2005), politician, pro-Soviet leader of the

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português, , PCP) is a communist, Marxist–Leninist political party in Portugal based upon democratic centralism. The party also considers itself patriotic and internationalist,Portu ...

* Isabel de Magalhães Colaço (1926–2004), academic lawyer, first woman to sit in the Constitutional Court *

Carlos Mota Pinto Carlos Alberto da Mota Pinto, GCC, GCIP, (; Pombal, 25 July 1936 – Coimbra, 7 May 1985) was a Portuguese professor and politician. Career He graduated as a licentiate in law and doctorate in judicial sciences from the Faculty of Law o ...

(1936–1985), a professor and politician, 107th Prime Minister of Portugal, 1978/1979 * Zita Seabra (born 1949 in Santa Cruz), a Portuguese politician and publisher. * Fausto de Sousa Correia (1951–2007) a politician, deputy of the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, and MEP *

Pedro Passos Coelho Pedro Manuel Mamede Passos Coelho (; born 24 July 1964) is a Portuguese politician and university guest lecturer who was the 118th prime minister of Portugal, in office from 2011 to 2015. He was the leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) b ...

(born 1964), a politician, and 118th Prime Minister of Portugal * Ana Catarina Mendes (born 1973) a politician, deputy in the Assembly of the Republic since 1995 * Pedro Fernandes Lopes (born 1986), Government minister in the Republic of Cape Verde.

The Arts

Francisco de Sá de Miranda Francisco de Sá de Miranda (28 August 1481 – 17 May 1558; ) was a Portuguese poet of the Renaissance. Life Sá de Miranda was born in Coimbra, the son of a canon Gonçalo Mendes de Sá belonging to the ancient and noble family of Sá a ...

(1481–1558) a Portuguese poet of the

. *

Carlos Seixas José António Carlos de Seixas (; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Coimbr ...

(1704–1742) composer, teacher and virtuoso of the organ and harpsichord * Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731–1822), one of Portugal's foremost sculptors. * Ayres de Campos, 1st Count of Ameal (1847–1920),

art collector A private collection is a privately owned collection of works (usually artworks) or valuable items. In a museum or art gallery context, the term signifies that a certain work is not owned by that institution, but is on loan from an individual ...

and politician * Camilo Pessanha (1867–1926), a Portuguese symbolist poet in

* João Ameal (1902–1982),

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

, literary pseudonym of the 3rd Count of Ameal * Mário Simões Dias (1903–1974), a

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

, professional violinist, music critic and poet *

Miguel Torga Miguel Torga (), pseudonym of Adolfo Correia da Rocha ( São Martinho de Anta, Sabrosa, Vila Real district, 12 August 1907 – Coimbra, 17 January 1995), is considered one of the greatest Portuguese writers of the 20th century. He wrote poe ...

, (1907-1995), a Portuguese writers of poetry, short stories, nominee for the

Nobel Prize for Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

(1925–2004), a virtuoso guitar player and composer, known as the ''"man of a thousand fingers"'' *

José Afonso José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos (2 August 1929 – 23 February 1987), known professionally as José Afonso and also popularly known as Zeca Afonso or simply Zeca, was a Portuguese singer-songwriter. One of the most influential folk and ...

(1929–1987), a Portuguese singer-songwriter; known as ''Zeca'' * Luiz Goes (1933–2012), a Portuguese

singer. *

José Álvaro Morais José Álvaro Morais was a Portuguese film director. His film '' O Bobo'' won the Golden Leopard at the 1987 Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. ...

(1943-2004), a Portuguese film director. * Mário Vieira de Carvalho (born 1943), a

, author and academic *

Mário Crespo Mário Crespo (born April 13, 1947) is a Portuguese retired journalist and reporter. Early life He was born in Coimbra, his father was an employee of the Portuguese bank Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU), and his mother, a professor at the Comm ...

(born 1947), a retired journalist and reporter * Alberto Raposo Pidwell Tavares (1948–1997), known as '' Al Berto'', a poet, painter and editor *

Carlos Paião Carlos Manuel de Marques Paião (1 November 1957 - 26 August 1988) was a singer and songwriter from Portugal. He represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 with the song " Playback". Carlos Paião was also a doctor, having graduate ...

(1957-1988), a singer and songwriter, sang at the Eurovision Song Contest 1981 * Sérgio Azevedo (born 1968) a composer of contemporary classical music. * Luís de Matos, (born 1970) a Portuguese magician, studied in Coimbra. * Paulo Furtado (born ca.1970), stage name ''

'', the lead vocalist of the band WrayGunn. * JP Simões (born 1970), singer and musician. *

Carlos Damas Carlos Damas (born 1973) is a leading Portuguese classical violinist and recording artist foDux RecordsBrillia ...

(born 1973), a Portuguese classical violinist *

(born 1976), Portuguese singer and musician. * Tiago Bettencourt (born 1979), singer-songwriter. * Edgar Morais (born 1989) an actor, writer and director. Edgar Morais, IMDb Database
retrieved 01 August 2021.

Sport

* Joaquim Melo (born 1949) a former football goalkeeper with 368 club caps. *

Carlos Simões Carlos António Fonseca Simőes (born 28 July 1951) is a former Portuguese footballer who played as central defender. Simões gained 13 caps for the Portugal national team. Honours Club ;Académica *Segunda Divisão: 1972–73 ;Porto * Primei ...

(born 1951) a former footballer with over 380 club caps *

Sérgio Conceição Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (; born 15 November 1974) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who mostly played as a right winger. He is the current manager of Porto. Throughout his career, he played for ...

(born 1974), football manager and former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

, who played for 10 teams and won 410 club caps and 56 caps for Portugal national football team * João Neto (born 1981), Portuguese judo champion *

Nuno Piloto Nuno Miguel Torres Piloto de Albuquerque (born 19 March 1982), known as Piloto, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a central midfielder. Club career Born in Tondela, Viseu District, Piloto was brought up in the youth system of Académica de ...

(born 1982), footballer, captain of Associação Académica de Coimbra – O.A.F. *

Zé Castro José Eduardo Rosa Vale de Castro (born 13 January 1983), commonly known as Zé Castro, is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a central defender. He started and finished his professional career with Académica, but spent 11 years in ...

(born 1983), footballer with over 370 club caps, played for

Deportivo de La Coruña Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña (), Deportivo or simply Dépor, is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. They currently play in the Primera División RFEF – ...

Filipe Albuquerque Filipe Miguel Delgadinho Albuquerque (born 13 June 1985) is a Portuguese professional racing driver, currently driving a Acura ARX-05 in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Wayne Taylor Racing, and an Oreca 07 in the FIA World Endurance Cham ...

(born 1985), Portuguese racing car driver * Miguel Veloso (born 1986) a footballer with over 440 club caps and 56 for

* Bárbara Luz (born 1993) a former professional tennis player

Others

* Adelino Maltez (born 1951), lawyer, university professor, poet and writer

References

Citations

Sources

* *

Bibliography

External links

Coimbra's Municipality City Hall
{{authority control Cities in Portugal Former national capitals Municipalities of Coimbra District

History

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See also

References

Citations

Sources

Bibliography

External links