Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe. The Nicolinas are the city's main festivities. Guimarães is referred as the capital of the Ave Subregion (one of the most industrialised subregions in the country), and located in the historical Minho Province. The municipality has a population of 156,830 inhabitants according to the most recent data of 2021 in an area of . The current mayor is Domingos Bragança, of the Socialist Party. Guimarães, along with

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

, Slovenia, was the European Capital of Culture in 2012. Guimarães also received the 2026 European Green Capital Award. The city was settled in the 9th century, at which time it was called ''Vimaranes''. This name might have had its origin in the warrior Vímara Peres, who chose this area as the main government seat for the County of Portugal which he conquered for the

Kingdom of Galicia The Kingdom of Galicia was a political entity located in southwestern Europe, which at its territorial zenith occupied the entire northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. In the early 10th century, the Kingdom of Galicia was formed following the div ...

. Guimarães has a significant historical importance due to the role it played in the foundation of Portugal. The city is commonly referred to as the "birthplace of Portugal" or "the cradle city" (''Cidade Berço'' in Portuguese) because it was in Guimarães that Portugal's first King, Afonso Henriques was born, and also because the Battle of São Mamede – which is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...

– was fought in the vicinity of the city. It was declared the most beautiful small city in Europe by the '' Condé Nast Traveler'' magazine in 2022.

History

The History of Guimarães is associated with the foundation and identity of the Portuguese nationality. Guimarães, as well as other settlements, precedes the foundation of Portugal and because of its role in the foundation of the country it is known as the "cradle of the Portuguese nationality". In 1128, major political and military events that would lead to the independence and the birth of a new nation took place in Guimarães. For this reason, in one of the old towers of the city's old wall is written "Aqui nasceu Portugal" (Portugal was born here).

Ancient history

According to archeological findings in Citânia (Castro) of Briteiros and Sabroso and Penha's archeologic site, the area in which Guimarães is located has had permanent settlements since the late

Chalcolithic The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

period. There is also evidence of Roman occupation, and a stone dedicated to the Roman emperor

Trajan Trajan ( ; born Marcus Ulpius Traianus, 18 September 53) was a Roman emperor from AD 98 to 117, remembered as the second of the Five Good Emperors of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was a philanthropic ruler and a successful soldier ...

found in Caldas das Taipas suggests that this was already a

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

in Roman times.

Foundation

Following the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

policy promoted by the

in the 9th century, the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

foundations of the actual city have roots in the 10th century. At this point, the Countess

Mumadona Dias Mumadona Dias, or Muniadomna Díaz (died 968), was a Galician people, Galician noble and County of Portugal, Countess of Portugal, who ruled the county jointly with her husband from about and then on her own after her husband's death around 950 ...

, erected a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

in her property of ''Vimaranes'', which led to the settlement of people in the area known as "vila baixa" (downtown). At the same time, she ordered the construction of a castle on the hill area which became known as "vila alta" (uptown), to defend the settlement. To connect these to other areas, the Rua de Santa Maria was built. The monastery became the "Real Colegiada" (Royal Collegiate church) and throughout time acquired importance due to the privileges and donations given to it by nobles and kings and it became a famous pilgrimage site.

Henry, Count of Portugal Henry (Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Henrique'', French language, French: ''Henri''; 1066 – 22 May 1112), Count of Portugal, was the first member of the Capetian House of Burgundy to rule Portugal and the father of the country's first kin ...

approved the first national foral possibly in 1096 (but not confirmed). The foral proves the growing importance of the village of Guimarães at that time, which was chosen as the capital of the County of Portugal. On 24 June 1128, the "Batalha de São Mamede" ( Battle of São Mamede) took place in Guimarães.

Middle Ages

During the reign of king Denis, as the town was expanding, it was partially surrounded by a defensive wall. Meanwhile, mendicant orders settled in Guimarães and helped to mold the shape of the emerging city. Later, during the reign of John I, the wall was torn down and the two parts of the city (uptown and downtown) were finally united and the city began to expand outside its old walls. The construction of St. Peter's Basilica began in 1737, and became a minor basilica in 1751, with formal completion of the work between 1883 and 1884.

Modern history

Until the 19th century the structure of the city did not suffer many transformations besides the construction of a few more churches,

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s and palaces. It was by the ending of the 19th century that new urbanistic ideas of hygiene and symmetry that the village, that was promoted to city by the Queen Maria II on 23 June 1853 had its greatest changes. The complete demolition of the city walls was authorized and the creation of many streets and avenues could start at that point. The controlled process of urbanization permitted the conservation of the city's magnificent historical centre. Guimarães hosted the 2024 European Trampoline Championships.

Geography

Geology

Granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

rock formations occupy the majority of the municipality but

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

rocks can also be found in certain zones in the northwest of the municipality. On the southeast, clay can be found in stream bed of the Ave, Vizela and Selho rivers.

Orography and hydrography

The municipality is delimited at north by the "Senhora do Monte" (Senhora hill), at northwest by the hills of Falperra, Sameiro, Outeiro and Penedice. To the south is the Monte da Penha, which is the highest point of the municipality, with a height of above mean sea level. Guimarães is part of the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

of Ave river which divides the municipality in half. The Ave river has as tributaries the Vizela, Torto, Febras and inside the city, the Selho, the Couros and the Santa Lúzia stream.

Climate

Guimarães is located in a valley surrounded by hills, at some distance from the sea. Summers tend to be lightly humid and hot, though still with some oceanic moderation compared to other locations further inland. Winters are generally cool and rainy, with about 29 days with frost per year on average. The last time it snowed with accumulation in the city was in January 2009, though nearby hills such as Penha may experience it more often. The average annual temperature is 14 °C.

Fauna

There is not much diversity, especially in the urban areas, but the municipality has some species of cynegetic interest such as: the

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...

, the wild boar, the turtle dove, the thrush, the pigeon and the red-legged partridge. In the green areas of the city, the most common species are rodents, especially squirrels.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality of Guimarães is divided into 48 civil parishes ('' freguesias''), previously having 69, but some of these were extinct and merged in 2013, after a nationwide territorial reorganization.

Demographics

; Evolution of the population of the municipality of Guimarães (1801–2021)

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.7) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:750 height:373 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:180000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:10000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:500 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1801 text:1801 bar:1849 text:1849 bar:1864 text:1864 bar:1878 text:1878 bar:1890 text:1890 bar:1900 text:1900 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1920 text:1920 bar:1930 text:1930 bar:1940 text:1940 bar:1950 text:1950 bar:1960 text:1960 bar:1970 text:1970 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 bar:2011 text:2011 bar:2021 text:2021 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1801 from:0 till: 47465 bar:1849 from:0 till: 46619 bar:1864 from:0 till: 44188 bar:1878 from:0 till: 46277 bar:1890 from:0 till: 49738 bar:1900 from:0 till: 54910 bar:1911 from:0 till: 58997 bar:1920 from:0 till: 56359 bar:1930 from:0 till: 65417 bar:1940 from:0 till: 82120 bar:1950 from:0 till: 97064 bar:1960 from:0 till: 116272 bar:1970 from:0 till: 121145 bar:1981 from:0 till: 146959 bar:1991 from:0 till: 157589 bar:2001 from:0 till: 159576 bar:2011 from:0 till: 158124 bar:2021 from:0 till: 156830 PlotData= bar:1801 at: 47465 fontsize:S text: 47.465 shift:(-8,5) bar:1849 at: 46619 fontsize:S text: 46.619 shift:(-10,5) bar:1864 at: 44188 fontsize:S text: 44.188 shift:(-10,5) bar:1878 at: 46277 fontsize:S text: 46.277 shift:(-10,5) bar:1890 at: 49738 fontsize:S text: 49.738 shift:(-10,5) bar:1900 at: 54910 fontsize:S text: 54.910 shift:(-10,5) bar:1911 at: 58997 fontsize:S text: 58.997 shift:(-10,5) bar:1920 at: 56359 fontsize:S text: 56.359 shift:(-10,5) bar:1930 at: 65417 fontsize:S text: 65.417 shift:(-10,5) bar:1940 at: 82120 fontsize:S text: 82.120 shift:(-10,5) bar:1950 at: 97064 fontsize:S text: 97.064 shift:(-10,5) bar:1960 at: 116272 fontsize:S text: 116.272 shift:(-10,5) bar:1970 at: 121145 fontsize:S text: 121.145 shift:(-10,5) bar:1981 at: 146959 fontsize:S text: 146.959 shift:(-10,5) bar:1991 at: 157589 fontsize:S text: 157.589 shift:(-10,5) bar:2001 at: 159576 fontsize:S text: 159.576 shift:(-10,5) bar:2011 at: 158124 fontsize:S text: 158.124 shift:(-10,5) bar:2021 at: 156830 fontsize:S text: 156.830 shift!(-10,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:source INE - plot creation by ''Wikipedia''

; Evolution of the population in the city centre (1864–2011)

Culture

Guimarães is an average size city but with a booming cultural life. Besides its museums, monuments, cultural associations, art galleries and popular festivities, it has since September 2005, an important cultural space, the Vila Flor Cultural Center. This cultural center has two auditoria, exhibition center and a concert-cafe. Guimarães was the European Capital of Culture in 2012, together with

in Slovenia. Guimarães is also home to association football club Vitória S.C. who compete in the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

, the top-flight of football in Portugal. Guimarães was elected by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' one of the 41 places to go in 2011 and called it one of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

's emerging cultural spots.

Cuisine

The fact that Guimarães was founded on the lands of a female convent had a great influence on the region's cuisine, especially its confectionery, such as the "Tortas de Guimarães" (Guimarães' tarts, a half moon flakey pastry wrongfully named a tart) and, mainly, the " Toucinho do céu" (normally, but incorrectly, translated as bacon from heaven, a moist yellow-colored pudding-cake). Besides what is usual in Minho, such as "vinho verde" , " Papas de sarrabulho" (a pig meat and blood porridge), " Rojões" (stewed pig meat served with potatoes and entrail sausage), etc., the so-called "Bôla de carne" (Meat cakes) is also made here, consisting of a type of bread (shaped like a

pizza Pizza is an Italian cuisine, Italian, specifically Neapolitan cuisine, Neapolitan, dish typically consisting of a flat base of Leavening agent, leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomato, cheese, and other ingredients, baked at a high t ...

) served with ''toucinho'' (bacon), sardines or other toppings.

Traditions and festivities

* Festas Gualterianas (''Gualteriana'' festival) - in honor of '' São Gualter'' (Saint Walter, a minor

franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar), take place since 1906 in the first weekend of August. The "Cortejo do Linho" (Linen parade) and the "Batalha das Flores" (Battle of the Flowers) are part of the festivities which are ended by the "Marcha Gualteriana" (''Gualteriana'' march). * Nicolinas - are the festivities of the students of Guimarães, celebrated in honor of

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

. The festivities start on the 29th of November and finish on the 7th of December. They are composed of different celebrations; the "Pinheiro" celebration being the most widely attended: after the "Ceia Nicolina" (Nicolinas supper), the participants parade the streets of Guimarães playing the "Toques Nicolinos" tune on drums while, traditionally, o Pinheiro (Pine/Christmas tree) is pulled in carts by bulls. Lately, it has been suggested that the "Nicolinas" should be a contender to be

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

intangible cultural heritage. * Santa Luzia festivities - in honor of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...

they take place annually on 13 December, near to the chapel of Santa Luzia. One of the traditions of these festivities is the selling of traditional cakes made of rye flour and sugar, called "Sardão" and "Passarinha" (these names have sexual connotations in Portuguese, associated to male and female genitalia respectively). According to the tradition, a boy should offer a "Sardão", which has a phallic form, to the girl and if the girl was interested in dating the boy, she should reply by gifting him with a "Passarinha". * Romaria Grande de São Torcato (''São Torcato'' Big pilgrimage) – one of the biggest romarias in Minho, takes place annually in July in the village of São Torcato.

Museums, cultural spaces and art galleries

The city of Guimarães has several cultural spaces of reference at a regional and national level. Among the several museums of the city, the Alberto Sampaio museum is the one that stands out. Founded in 1928, it opened its doors to the public in 1931; it is located in the old site of the Canon the Collegiate of Our Lady of Oliveira (''Cabido da Colegiada de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira'' in Portuguese). It contains a rich collection of pieces from the 14th, 15th and 16th century, including one rare vest that was used by the king John I.

The Martins Sarmento Society (''Sociedade Martins Sarmento'' in Portuguese) is one of the country oldest institutions dedicated to the study and preservation of archaeological artifacts. The society owns two museums: the Archaeological Museum of the Martins Sarmento Society, which is known by its

prehistory Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...

and

protohistory Protohistory is the period between prehistory and written history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures that have developed writing have noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in the ...

collections and also its

numismatics Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

and

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

collections; and the Castro Culture Museum which is dedicated to the Castro culture. There is also: the Primitive Modern Arts Museum, located in the ''Domus Municipalis'' (the old city hall), which contains a collection of

naïve art Naïve art is usually defined as visual art that is created by a person who lacks the formal education and training that a professional artist undergoes (in anatomy, art history, technique, perspective, ways of seeing). When this aesthetic is ...

; the Museum of the Village of São Torcato, which is dedicated to the region and its relationship with the monastery and Saint Torcato (''São Torcato'' in Portuguese); the Agriculture Museum of Fermentões, which exhibits collections of the traditional agricultural practices of the region; and the Museum of São Sebastião, inaugurated on 24 March 1984, which contains mainly sacred art. Other cultural venues include: * Vila Flor Cultural Center (''Centro Cultural Vila Flor'' in Portuguese) is the main cultural venue in Guimarães. It was built in 2005, besides the restored Vila Flor Palace and its surrounding area. It has two auditoriums, a concert-cafe and an exhibition gallery. The surrounding gardens of the old palace were also redone and in 2006, received an honorable mention in the Public Exterior Spaces category in the National Landscape Architecture Award. * São Mamede – Guimarães Arts and Shows Center * Raul Brandão Municipal Library has its headquarters in the city and also has branches in Pevidém, Caldas das Taipas and Ronfe. It offers its mobile library services to 42 parishes and services the city schools and prison. * The Art Laboratory (''Laboratorio das Artes'' in Portuguese) was founded in 2004 by ESAP students. It is a cultural space for exhibitions, performances, music and art workshops. * Alfredo Pimenta National Archive, founded in 1931, contains the archives for municipality of Guimarães and also the Braga district.

Sports

Guimarães has two major sports club, Vitória Sport Clube, whose

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

team has been the city's representative in the

every year, having already conquered a Portuguese Cup in 2012/13 and a Portuguese Supercup in 1988, and Moreirense Futebol Clube, whose

team is also in

for some years and already won the Portuguese Second Division in 2013/14 and the Portuguese League Cup in 2016/17. During Vitória SC European campaigns, the Portuguese team played against teams like Arsenal FC, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad,

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a German professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The club currently plays in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German footb ...

, Parma FC and Borussia Monchengladbach. Vitória SC also has

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and

water polo Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...

squads competing in the top divisions of their sports.

Society

In 2008, the city ranked second in the index of most livable city in Portugal. It is also the 10th least polluted city in the country according to IQAir. In 2004, 89% of the population had running water; it was forecast that the number would raise to 95% by 2006. In 2001, 63.5% of the population had basic sanitation; it was forecast that the number would raise to 80% by 2008. In 2001, 100% of the population had access to waste management services. However, several people complain that the city, together with other cities of the Braga district has had an unaesthetic and unorganized growth.

Newspapers

Guimarães ranks fourth in the country for available newspapers. The oldest was the "Azemel Vimaranense", founded in 1822; it possibly had its publication halted by the Vilafrancada incidents. From 1856, other newspapers start to appear, amongst them "A Tesoura de Guimarães". Actually the city's newspapers are: * '' O Comércio de Guimarães'' * ''O Cónego'' * ''O Conquistador'' * ''Desportivo de Guimarães'' * ''Entrevillas'' * ''O Expresso do Ave'' * ''Jornal do Adepto'' * ''Lordelo Jornal'' * ''Notícias de Guimarães'' * ''O Pilar'' * ''O Povo de Guimarães'' * ''Reflexo – O Espelho das Taipas'' * ''Sport Jornal dos Desportos''

Radio

There are two stations headquartered in the town: Radio Fundação (95.8 FM) and Radio Santiago (98.0 FM).

Television

The Guimarães TV transmission is made online since 24 July 2007; it is the result of a collaboration between the city's assembly and the Guimarães Cybercenter. Its contents are feature in the Região Norte TV channel which is available through cable. The "canalguimarães" was another online channel that started operating in March 2010. It is the fruit of the effort put in by an arts association, the "Associação de Socorros Mútuos Artística Vimaranense", one of the oldest associations of the city.

Economy

Guimarães is one of the most industrial municipalities in Portugal. Its primary industries are textiles, shoe industry and metalomechanics.

Transport

Guimarães is linked to

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

by the Guimarães line. This railway line was originally built with narrow gauge track, then modernised and rebuilt to the broad Iberian gauge in the first decade of the 21st century. The train service is operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP). Locally, Guimarães is served by TUG (Transportes Urbanos de Guimarães) which operates 21 bus routes serving the city. The Guimarães Cable Car, a gondola lift, links the city centre with the top of Monte da Penha.

Twin towns – sister cities

Guimarães is twinned with: * Brive-la-Gaillarde, France *

Colonia del Sacramento Colonia del Sacramento (; ) is a city in southwestern Uruguay, by the Río de la Plata, facing Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is one of the oldest towns in Uruguay and the capital of the Colonia Department. As of the 2023 census, it has a populatio ...

, Uruguay *

Compiègne Compiègne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department of northern France. It is located on the river Oise (river), Oise, and its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois'' (). Administration Compiègne is t ...

, France *

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

, France *

Igualada Igualada () is a municipality and capital of Anoia county in Penedès, Catalonia, Spain. It is located on the left bank of the Anoia River and at the western end of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona Railway. Igualada is the capital and central ...

, Spain * Kaiserslautern, Germany *

Londrina Londrina (, literally "Little London") is a city located in the north of the state of Paraná (state), Paraná, South Region, Brazil, and is 388 km (241 miles) away from the state capital, Curitiba. It is the second largest city in the state and f ...

, Brazil * Mé-Zóchi, São Tomé and Príncipe * Montluçon, France * Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Cape Verde *

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil * Tacoronte, Spain

Notable people

Medieval and Early Modern

* Urraca Henriques (c. 1095-1173) noble person and daughter of Teresa de Leão and sister of Afonso I *

Afonso I of Portugal Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on th ...

(1111–1185) nicknamed ''"the Conqueror"'' by the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

, whom he fought, was the first

King of Portugal 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 Portugal, Portuguese Republic with the 5 October 1910 revolution. Thro ...

* Paio Galvão (c. 1165–1230) a Leonese Cardinal,

canon lawyer Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, a papal legate and leader of the Fifth Crusade * Blanche of Portugal (1259–1321) an infanta, the firstborn child of King Afonso III of Portugal * Gil Vicente (c. 1465–ca.1536) a playwright and poet, acted and directed his own plays * Agostinho Barbosa (1589–1649) a writer on canon law, consecrated Bishop of Ugento in Italy * Catarina de Lencastre, Viscountess of Balsemão (1749—1824) a noblewoman, poet and playwright.

Late Modern

* António Augusto da Silva Cardoso (1831-1893) a Portuguese painter * Alberto Sampaio (1841-1908) a historian, writer, archaeologist and teacher * Vicente Pinheiro Lobo Machado de Melo e Almada (1852-1922) a politician, diplomat, congressperson and colonial administrator * João Gomes de Oliveira Guimarães (1853-1912) a politician, historian and catholic priest * Abel Cardoso (1877-1964) a painter, and son of António Augusto da Silva Cardoso * Alfredo Pimenta (1882–1950) a historian, poet and writer about the

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

* Abel Salazar (1889–1946) a physician, lecturer, researcher, writer and painter * Emídio Guerreiro (1899-2005) a teacher, politician and opponent of the Estado Novo * Arnaldo Sampaio (1908-1984) a doctor, receiver of the Grã-Cruz da Ordem do Mérito medal * Duarte Freitas do Amaral (1909–1979) a Portuguese politician, was a deputy to the National Assembly of Portugal * Mário António Caldas de Melo Saraiva (1910-1998) historian, doctor, politician and writer * Alberto Martins (born 1945) a lawyer, politician and congressperson * Luís Marques Mendes (born 1957) a Portuguese lawyer and politician * Elisabete Matos (born 1964) a Portuguese soprano. * Pedro Chagas Freitas (born 1979) writer, journalist and public speaker on leadership issues * Marisa Ferreira (born 1983) an artist whose work includes

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

and geometric art * Sofia Escobar (born 1984) a soprano singer and actress in London's West End musicals. Sofia Escobar, IMDb Database
. * Renato Freitas (born 1991) stage name '' Lizzy's Husband'' an electronic music artist especially industrial electronica

Sports

* Francisco "Xico" Ferreira (1919–1986) a footballer with 178 club caps and 25 with

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

* Aurora Cunha (born 1959) a former athlete * Horácio Gonçalves (born 1962) a retired footballer with 284 club caps and currently a manager. * Domingos Castro (born 1963) a former long-distance runner, competed in the 1988,

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

, 1996 and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Dionísio Castro (born 1963) a former long-distance runner, he competed at the 1988 and

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

* Miguel Marques (born 1963) a retired footballer with 545 club caps * Quim Berto (born 1971) a former professional footballer with 451 club caps * Fernando Meira (born 1978) a footballer with 534 club caps and 54 with

* Pedro Mendes (born 1979) a footballer with 298 club caps and 11 with

* Domingos Alexandre Martins Costa (born 1979) known as ''Alex,'' is a former footballer with 295 club caps * Rui Faria (born 1980) known as ''Faria,'' is a football goalkeeper with 270 club caps * Ricardo (born 1980) a Cape Verdean footballer with 469 club caps and 16 with

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

* Vítor Lima (born 1981) a retired footballer with 479 club caps * Carlos Carneiro (born 1982) a former Portuguese

er. * Ana Dulce Félix (born 1982) a long-distance runner, competed in the

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

* Custódio Castro (born 1983) known as ''Custódio,'' a retired footballer with 342 club caps and 10 with

* Vieirinha (born 1986) a footballer with over 400 club caps and 25 with

* Márcio Sousa (born 1986) a professional footballer with over 350 club caps * João Sousa (born 1989) Portugal's greatest tennis player, ranked 36th by the ATP * Rui Bragança (born 1991) a Portuguese taekwondo practitioner

References

External links

Municipality official website

Tourism in Guimarães

Photos from Guimarães

Guimarães 2012

"Guimarães: 2012 European Capital of Culture – Portugal"
''Portuguese American Journal'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Guimaraes Cities in Portugal World Heritage Sites in Portugal Minho

History

Ancient history

Foundation

Middle Ages

Modern history

Geography

Geology

Orography and hydrography

Climate

Fauna

Parishes

Demographics

Culture

Cuisine

Traditions and festivities

Museums, cultural spaces and art galleries

Sports

Society

Newspapers

Radio

Television

Economy

Transport

Twin towns – sister cities

Notable people

Medieval and Early Modern

Late Modern

Sports

See also

References

External links