Guimarães () is a city and municipality located in

northern Portugal The North Region ( ) or Northern Portugal is the most populous region in Portugal, ahead of Lisbon, and the third most extensive by area. The region has 3,576,205 inhabitants according to the 2017 census, and its area is with a density of 173 inha ...

, in the district of

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

. 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 The Nicolinas () are a series of festivities to honor Saint Nicholas that occur in the Portugal, Portuguese city of Guimarães. Held between 29 November and 7 December, they celebrate the old traditions and camaraderie of the inhabitants of Guim ...

are the city's main festivities. Guimarães is referred as the capital of the

Ave Subregion The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Ave () is an administrative division in Portugal. It was created in 2009. It takes its name from the Ave River. The seat of the intermunicipal community is Guimarães. Ave comprises parts of the former districts of ...

(one of the most industrialised subregions in the country), and located in the historical

Minho Province Minho () was a former province in Portugal, established in 1936 and dissolved in 1976. It consisted of 23 municipalities, with its capital in the city of Braga. Today, the area would include the districts of Braga and Viana do Castelo. Minho ha ...

. 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 Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

. 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 A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

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 The County of Portugal ( Galician-Portuguese: ''Comtato de Portugalle''; referred to as Portugalia in contemporary documents) refers to two successive medieval counties in the region around Guimarães and Porto, today corresponding to litoral n ...

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 Dom Afonso IOr 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 influence ...

was born, and also because the

Battle of São Mamede The Battle of São Mamede (, ) took place on 24 June 1128 near Guimarães and is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal and the battle that ensured Portugal's independence. Portuguese forces led by Afonso He ...

– 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 ''Condé Nast Traveler'' is a luxury and lifestyle travel magazine published by Condé Nast. The magazine has won 25 National Magazine Awards. The Condé Nast unit of Advance Publications purchased ''Signature'', a magazine for Diners Club me ...

'' 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 ...

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian 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 Kingd ...

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 Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

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 The Santa Maria Street () is a street of medieval origin in the Historic Centre of Guimarães, historic centre of Guimarães, being for many centuries the most important street in Guimarães and home to some of its elite. The street currently c ...

was built. The monastery became the "Real Colegiada" (Royal

Collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, headed by a dignitary bearing ...

) 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 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...

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

. On 24 June 1128, the "Batalha de São Mamede" (

) took place in Guimarães.

Middle Ages

During the reign of king

Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, Bishop of Győr (13th century), Hungarian prelate * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), bar ...

, as the town was expanding, it was partially surrounded by a

defensive 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 such as curtain walls with t ...

. Meanwhile,

mendicant orders Mendicant orders are primarily certain Catholic Church, Catholic religious orders that have vowed for their male members a lifestyle of vow of poverty, poverty, traveling, and living in urban areas for purposes of preacher, preaching, Evangelis ...

settled in Guimarães and helped to mold the shape of the emerging city. Later, during the reign of

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

, 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 The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican (), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (; ), is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initiall ...

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 A streambed or stream bed is the bottom of a stream or river and is confined within a Stream channel, channel or the Bank (geography), banks of the waterway. Usually, the bed does not contain terrestrial (land) vegetation and instead supports d ...

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 Monte da Penha, or Monte de Santa Catarina, is the highest point in the Portuguese city of Guimarães, with a height of above mean sea level. The hill provides a panoramic view of the centre of Guimarães, and is accessible by road and by the G ...

, which is the highest point of the municipality, with a height of above

mean sea level A mean is a quantity representing the "center" of a collection of numbers and is intermediate to the extreme values of the set of numbers. There are several kinds of means (or "measures of central tendency") in mathematics, especially in statist ...

. 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, ...

Ave river Ave River (, ) is a river in Northern Portugal. It has its source in the Cabreira Mountain (Serra da Cabreira) in the Minho Region. In its course passes through the cities of Guimarães, Vizela, Santo Tirso, Trofa and Vila do Conde. The Vize ...

which divides the municipality in half. The Ave river has as tributaries the

Vizela Vizela () is a municipality in the Braga District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,736, in an area of 24.70 km². The present mayor is Vitor Hugo Salgado, elected as an independent. The municipal holiday is March 19. History In Au ...

Torto Torto may refer to: * Torto, enormously strong one-eyed giant very similar in Basque mythology * Torto (surname), surname * Noticia de Torto, minuta of a notarial document written Portuguese language See also * Torta (disambiguation) Torta ...

, 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 wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

, the turtle dove, the

thrush Thrush may refer to: Birds * Thrush (bird), any of the birds in the family Turdidae ** List of thrush species * Antthrushes, the Formicariidae family of birds * Dohrn's warbler, or Dohrn's thrush-babbler, a species ''Sylvia dohrni'' in the famil ...

, the pigeon and the

red-legged partridge The red-legged partridge (''Alectoris rufa'') is a gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes, gallinaceous birds. It is sometimes known as French partridge, to distinguish it from the English or grey partridge. The ge ...

. 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

in 2012, together with

in Slovenia. Guimarães is also home to association football club

Vitória S.C. Vitória Sport Clube, popularly known as Vitória de Guimarães or sometimes just Vitória, is a Portuguese professional football club based in Guimarães that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football, at the Est ...

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 Association football (), the most popular sport in Portugal, has a long and storied history in the country, following its introduction in 1875 in cities such as Funchal, Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra by English merchants and Portuguese students a ...

. 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 Minho or Miño may refer to: People * Miño (surname) * Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor known mononymously as Minho Places * Minho (river) or Miño, in Portugal and Spain Jamaica * Rio Minho, a river Portugal * Minho Province ...

, 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 Sardine and pilchard are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring suborder Clupeoidei. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century; a somewhat dubious etymology says it come ...

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). *

- 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 An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...

. * 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 Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

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 A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

form, to the girl and if the girl was interested in dating the boy, she should reply by gifting him with a "Passarinha". *

Romaria Romaria is a Brazilian municipality located in the northwest of the state of Minas Gerais. Its population as of 2020 was 3,520 people living in a total area of 402 km2. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Triângulo Mineiro e Alto Para ...

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 SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

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 Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

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

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 Castro culture (, , , , meaning "culture of the hillforts") is the archaeological term for the material culture of the northwestern regions of the Iberian Peninsula (present-day northern and central Portugal together with the Spanish regions of ...

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 Religious art is a visual representation of religious ideologies and their relationship with humans. Sacred art directly relates to religious art in the sense that its purpose is for worship and religious practices. According to one set of definit ...

. 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 The Vila Flor Palace is an 18th-century palace and an important cultural hotspot of the city of Guimarães, Portugal. History It was built in the 18th century at the behest of the nobleman Tadeu Luís António Lopes de Carvalho de Fonseca e C ...

and its surrounding area. It has two

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoriums can be found in entertainment venues, community halls, and t ...

s, 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 Vitoria or Vitória may refer to: People * Francisco de Vitoria (c. 1483–1546), a Spanish Renaissance theologian * Alberto Vitoria (1956–2010), Spanish footballer * Rui Vitória (born 1970), Portuguese retired footballer * Sofia Vitória (b ...

, 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 Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

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 The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

, Atletico Madrid,

Real Sociedad Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...

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 Parma Calcio 1913 () is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia-Romagna, which competes in the Serie A, the top tier of Italian league system, following promotion from Serie B in the 2023–24 season. ''Parma Football Cl ...

and

Borussia Monchengladbach Borussia is the Latin name for Prussia. It may refer to: ;Sports clubs: Unless stated, each club (multi-sport or not) plays association football * Tennis Borussia Berlin * Borussia Bocholt * Borussia Dortmund, multi-sport * Borussia Düsseldorf ...

. Vitória SC also has Vitória S.C. (handball), handball, Vitória S.C. (basketball), basketball, Vitória S.C. (volleyball), volleyball and Vitória S.C. (water polo), water polo 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 Frequency modulation, 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 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

Twin towns – sister cities

Guimarães is Sister city, twinned with: * Brive-la-Gaillarde, France * Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay * Compiègne, France * Dijon, France * Igualada, Spain * Kaiserslautern, Germany * Londrina, Brazil * Mé-Zóchi District, Mé-Zóchi, São Tomé and Príncipe * Montluçon, France * Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Cape Verde, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Cape Verde * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Tacoronte, Spain

Notable people

Medieval and Early Modern

* Urraca Henriques (c. 1095-1173) noble person and daughter of Theresa, Countess of Portugal, Teresa de Leão and sister of Afonso I of Portugal, Afonso I * Afonso I of Portugal (1111–1185) nicknamed ''"the Conqueror"'' by the Moors, whom he fought, was the first List of Portuguese monarchs, King of Portugal * Paio Galvão (c. 1165–1230) a Leonese Cardinal, canon lawyer, a papal legate and leader of the Fifth Crusade * Blanche of Portugal (1259–1321), 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

* :pt:António Augusto da Silva Cardoso, António Augusto da Silva Cardoso (1831-1893) a Portuguese painter * :pt:Alberto Sampaio, Alberto Sampaio (1841-1908) a historian, writer, archaeologist and teacher * :pt:Vicente Pinheiro Lobo Machado de Melo e Almada, Vicente Pinheiro Lobo Machado de Melo e Almada (1852-1922) a politician, diplomat, congressperson and colonial administrator * :pt:João Gomes de Oliveira Guimarães, João Gomes de Oliveira Guimarães (1853-1912) a politician, historian and catholic priest * :pt:Abel Cardoso, Abel Cardoso (1877-1964) a painter, and son of :pt:António Augusto da Silva Cardoso, António Augusto da Silva Cardoso * Alfredo Pimenta (1882–1950) a historian, poet and writer about the Middle Ages * Abel Salazar (scientist), Abel Salazar (1889–1946) a physician, lecturer, researcher, writer and painter * :pt:Emídio Guerreiro, Emídio Guerreiro (1899-2005) a teacher, politician and opponent of the Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo * :pt:Arnaldo Sampaio, Arnaldo Sampaio (1908-1984) a doctor, receiver of the Order of Merit (Portugal), 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 * :pt:Mário António Caldas de Melo Saraiva, 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 and geometric art * Sofia Escobar (born 1984) a soprano singer and actress in London's West End theatre, West End musicals. Sofia Escobar, IMDb Database
. * Lizzy's Husband, Renato Freitas (born 1991) stage name ''Lizzy's Husband'' an electronic music artist especially industrial electronica

Sports

* Francisco Ferreira (Portuguese footballer), Francisco "Xico" Ferreira (1919–1986) a footballer with 178 club caps and 25 with Portugal national football team, Portugal * 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 Summer Olympics, 1988, 1992 Summer Olympics, 1992, 1996 Summer Olympics, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics * Dionísio Castro (born 1963) a former long-distance runner, he competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics * Miguel Marques (footballer), 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 Portugal national football team, Portugal * Pedro Mendes (footballer, born 1979), Pedro Mendes (born 1979) a footballer with 298 club caps and 11 with Portugal national football team, Portugal * Domingos Alexandre Martins Costa (born 1979) known as ''Alex,'' is a former footballer with 295 club caps * Rui Faria (footballer, born 1980), Rui Faria (born 1980) known as ''Faria,'' is a football goalkeeper with 270 club caps * Ricardo (footballer, born 1980), Ricardo (born 1980) a Cape Verdean footballer with 469 club caps and 16 with Cape Verde national football team, Cape Verde * Vítor Lima (born 1981) a retired footballer with 479 club caps * Carlos Carneiro (handballer), Carlos Carneiro (born 1982) a former Portuguese handballer. * Ana Dulce Félix (born 1982) a long-distance runner, competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics * Custódio Castro (born 1983) known as ''Custódio,'' a retired footballer with 342 club caps and 10 with Portugal national football team, Portugal * Vieirinha (born 1986) a footballer with over 400 club caps and 25 with Portugal national football team, Portugal * 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 Association of Tennis Professionals, 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 Guimarães, Cities in Portugal World Heritage Sites in Portugal Minho