Localization

The City

Built on the banks of the river Mondego, full of charm and splendor, the city of Coimbra gained national and international notoriety as a city of knowledge due to its academic roots and also its cultural vein, which inspired both poets and writers.

Described as the city with more history in the central region of Portugal, Coimbra hosts some of the most revered monuments and customs of the district. The Roman occupation produced the first traces of Coimbra, which can be seen in the coastal town of Figueira da Foz, the imposing castle of the ninth century in Montemor-o-Velho and in the ruins of Conímbriga.

The University

By signing the "Scientiae thesaurus mirabilis", D. Dinis created the oldest university of the country and one of the oldest in the world. Dating from 1290, the document gives rise to the General Study, which is recognized in the same year by Pope Nicholas IV. A century after the birth of Portugal was born the University of Coimbra (originally created in Lisbon). The University switched its location between Coimbra and Lisbon until 1537, when it settled permanently in the city of Mondego.

Initially confined to the Royal Palace, the University has spread over Coimbra, changing her landscape and making it a university city. Recently, the University of Coimbra gained new knowledge centers with the creation of the Pólo II, devoted to engineering and technology, and a third pole, for health sciences. Studying at the University of Coimbra is continuing the history of the intellectual matrix and profile of Portugal, which formed the most prominent figures of culture, science and national policy.

With more than seven centuries, the University of Coimbra has a unique tangible and intangible heritage, keystone in the history of European science and cultural world. A heritage which was recently declared a World Heritage by UNESCO.