Coimbra
Encyclopedia : C : CO : COI : Coimbra
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| Subdivisions of Portugal>Location - Region - Subregion - District or A.R. | Centro Baixo Mondego Coimbra | |||
| Mayor - List_of_political_parties_in_Portugal>Party | Carlos Encarnação PSD | |||
| Area | 319.0 km² | |||
| Population - Total - Density | 148,474 465/km² | |||
| No. of freguesia>parishes | 31 | |||
| Coordinates | [41°15' N 8°27'W] | |||
| Municipal holiday | Holy Queen Isabel July 4 | |||
| Website: http://www.cm-coimbra.pt/ | ||||
Coimbra (pron. IPA [ku'ĩβɾɐ]) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The municipality has a population of 148,474 inhabitants, and over 435,000 inhabitants live in its metropolitan area made of 16 municipalities comprising a 3370 km² area. It is the district seat of Coimbra district and capital of Centro region.
Coimbra is considered, alongside Braga, the third most important city of Portugal outside Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas, and plays a role as the chief city of the central part of the country. The city, which was the capital of Portugal from 1139 to about 1260, has a large archeological site with extensive ruins dating from the time it was a Roman town called Aeminium. Coimbra developed into an important cultural centre, mainly because of the University of Coimbra founded in 1290. The university is one of the oldest in Europe and attracts students from around the world, which gives the city a special and rare atmosphere.
Location
The historic city of Coimbra is located in the central part of Portugal, 120 km south of Porto, 195 km north of Lisbon. One of Portugal's biggest crossroads, Coimbra is served by the A1, the main highway of Portugal. It is set by the Mondego River, about 40 km east of Figueira da Foz, a neighbour coastal city with several beaches, summer and seaport facilities on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.Climate
Temperatures in Coimbra range from 7.2 Celsius (45 Fahrenheit) to 27.95 Celsius (82 Fahrenheit). Rainfall in Coimbra varies from 18.0 mm/month (0.71 inches/month) to 486.0 mm/month (19.1 inches/month).Nationwide importance
The city of Coimbra has a population of about 150,000 inhabitants and a total of 435,000 inhabitants in its Greater Metropolitan Area (see Grande Área Metropolitana de Coimbra). Previously capital of the former Beira province, and today the Centro region capital, it is considered alongside Braga, the third most important city of Portugal outside Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Areas, and plays a role as the chief city of the central part of the country. The city and its surrounding metropolitan area is among the biggest in Portugal. With a dense urban grid the city of Coimbra is famous for its monuments, churches, libraries, numerous parks, gardens, nightlife, shopping facilities and above all for its University of Coimbra, one of the oldest universities in Europe.History and landmarks
The city, located over a hill by the river Mondego, was called Aeminium in Roman times. During late Antiquity it became the seat of a Diocesis substituting the nearby city of Conimbriga, which had been destroyed by invading Germanic peoples, adopting the name of the destroyed city. The Moors ocuppied Coimbra around the year 711, turning it into an important commercial link between the Christian North and Muslim South. The city was definitely reconquered by Ferdinand I of Leon in 1064.
After being reconquered by the Christians, Coimbra became the capital of a new County (County of Coimbra), governed by the Mozarab Sesnando (Sisnando Davides), later incorporated into the County of Portugal. In the mid-12th century, the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, turned Coimbra into the capital of the new Kingdom, a condition the city would keep until the year 1255. Many important monuments of the city date from this early period, like the Old Cathedral, the Church of St. James (Igreja de Santiago) and the Santa Cruz Monastery, which was the most important Portuguese monastic institution at the time.
Already in the Middle Ages Coimbra was divided into an upper city (Cidade Alta or Almedina), where the aristocracy and the clergy lived, and the low city (Cidade Baixa) by the river where most commercial activities took place. The city was encircled by a fortified wall, of which some remnants are still visible like the Almedina Gate (Porta da Almedina). The most important work in gothic style in the city is the Old Santa Clara Convent (Convento de Santa Clara-a-Velha), founded in the left side of the river Mondego by Queen Elizabeth in the first half of the 14th century. The Monastery was located too close to the river, and frequent floods forced the nuns to abandon it in the 17th century, when the New Santa Clara Convent (Santa Clara-a-Nova) was built uphill. The Queen's magnificent gothic tomb was also transfered to the new convent. The ruins of the old convent have recently been unearthed and can be seen today in the left bank of the river.
In the 15th and 16th centuries, during the Age of Discovery, Coimbra was again one of the main artistic centres of Portugal thanks to both local and royal patronage. Coimbra bishops, religious orders and King Manuel I supported artists like Diogo Pires (father and son), Marcos Pires, João de Castilho, Diogo de Castilho and the Frenchmen, João de Ruão and Nicholas of Chanterene, among others, who left important manueline and renaissance works in the town. Date from this period the remodelling in manueline style of the Santa Cruz Monastery, including the tombs of Kings Afonso Henriques and Sancho I, the renaissance Manga Fountain, the altarpieces and triumphal portal of the Old Cathedral, among other works.
The University of Coimbra, founded in Lisbon in 1290 by King Dinis I, was definitely transfered to the premises of Coimbra Castle in 1537 by King John III. Since then city life has revolved around the University and the many Colleges established by the religious orders in the city.
The first half of the 19th century was a difficult period for Coimbra, invaded by French troops under the command of Andoche Junot and André Masséna. The city recovered in the second half of the century with infrastructure improvements like the telegraph, gas light, the railway system and a railway bridge over the Mondego river.
Apart from the monuments already mentioned, it is also worth a visit to the New Cathedral of Coimbra (17th century) and the Machado de Castro Museum, the second most important one in Portugal, housed in the former Palace of the Bishops. The city also houses the University of Coimbra General Library, Portuguese second biggest library, after the National Library in Lisbon, and the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra from the 18th century.
Coimbra is also known for the reduced child-scale buildings in the Portugal dos Pequeninos park. These buildings are scale copies of Portuguese architectural landmarks and were built in the 1950s and 1960s.
Economy
The wealth of the city rests mostly on its University of Coimbra 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 industry, administrative offices, financial services, law firms and specialized medical care (the city has many private clinics, medical offices and two large independent state hospital centres: Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra and C.H.C. - Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra).
Critical Software has its global headquarters in the city, and there are also a major cement factory in Souselas (CIMPOR Souselas), a pan-European service center of Olympus and several ceramics, food manufacturing and wine industries. Handicraft industry is well represented by traditional tapestry and pottery manufacture, and the surroundings of the city have besides forestry, dynamic horticulture production, vineyards and livestock raising.
Accommodation
There is a wide variety of accommodation available, ranging from the camping-park or one of the many inexpensive hostels to the charming downtown hotels and international chain hotels.Events
Municipality Holiday
Coimbra city holiday is the 4th of July. The Coimbra City Festival is in honor of the Queen Saint Elizabeth, wife of the King Dom Dinis and patriarch of the city. The religious festivities take place only in the even numbered years, but the city holiday's celebrations take place every year in July. Special attractions include the fireworks display during the nighttime march of the penitents. The devotion accorded to Queen Donna Isabel began soon after her death and in 1516 she was beatified for the Coimbra Diocese under Pope Leo X, then for the whole country by Pope Paul IV in 1556. The canonization process for Holy Queen Isabel was begun by Don Alfonso de Castelo Branco, in 1612. After verification that the corpse remained uncorrupted a crystal and silver urn was placed at the tomb for veneration by the faithful. The canonization ceremony took place in 1625 with Pope Urban VIII presiding and the local population celebrating the event for a week.
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), occurs in the beginning of scholar year, and is a welcome to the new university students (Caloiros). 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 baptized in the Mondego River thus entering into the Coimbra academic fraternity. The 2nd year's students are awarded their Grelos (a small ribbon). The Grelo is a small, woolen ribbon with the color(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 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 Burning of the Ribbons), more important than the first, 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 8 days, each for each University of Coimbra's Faculty: Letras (Letters), 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 festivals, other higher education students of Coimbra such as the polytechnic students or private institution 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.
Education
Coimbra is called as A cidade dos estudantes (The city of the students), mainly because it is the site of the oldest and one of the most prestigious universities in Portugal - the University of Coimbra. Nowadays it has students from 70 different nationalities; almost 10% of its students are foreigners, being Portugal's most international university.Coimbra is also the place where the oldest and biggest students' union of university students in Portugal was founded - the Associação Académica de Coimbra. Besides that, there are also some other smaller schools and institutes of higher education in the city: the Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, a polytechnic institute; two nursing schools 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 an arts institute. The city has also a large number of public and private basic and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens and nurseries.
Transportation
The two banks of Mondego river at Coimbra, are linked by three main bridges: the Ponte do Açude; the Ponte de Santa Clara (Santa Clara bridge), which is the oldest, and the Ponte Rainha Santa also known as Ponte Europa, which is the newest one, finished in 2004.The city is internally connected by an extensive bus network, the SMTUC (Serviços Municipalizados de Transportes Urbanos de Coimbra, Coimbra Municipality Urban Transport Services). In the past, the city also had a tram network (some are now parked inside a transportation museum). Taxicabs are also available, and are recognizable as cream or black and green (black car with green rooftop) taxis.
The city is also a railroad hub and has interregional bus services for all the country and abroad. An aerodrome for recreation and regional flights is located in Cernache.
Sport
Coimbra is home to Académica, a football autonomous organism of the Associação Académica de Coimbra, which plays in the Main Portuguese Football League at the Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, and also to Clube de Futebol União de Coimbra (a smaller sport club, but also important in the city).Coimbra also has one of the largest sports association in Portugal: the University of Coimbra's students' union, Associação Académica de Coimbra, includes sections dedicated to a wide array of sports such as rugby, tennis, volleyball, among others.
Coimbra's Estádio Cidade de Coimbra (30,000 seats) was a site of 2004 European Football Championship.
Parishes
- Almalaguês
- Almedina
- Ameal
- Antanhol
- Antuzede
- Arzila
- Assafarge
- Botão
- Brasfemes
- Castelo Viegas
- Ceira
- Cernache
- Eiras
- Lamarosa
- Ribeira de Frades
- São Bartolomeu
- São João do Campo
- São Martinho da Árvore
- São Martinho do Bispo
- São Paulo de Frades
- São Silvestre
- Sé Nova
- Souselas
- Santa Clara
- Santa Cruz
- Santo António dos Olivais
- Taveiro
- Torre de Vilela
- Torres do Mondego
- Trouxemil
- Vil de Matos
Famous inhabitants
- Afonso Henriques, Portuguese first king, father of the Portuguese nationality. He was buried in Santa Cruz Monastery at Coimbra.
- Sancho I, Portuguese second king, son of Afonso Henriques. He was buried in Santa Cruz Monastery at Coimbra.
- Anthony of Lisbon, Catholic saint.
- Queen Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, king Denis wife. She was buried in Santa Clara Convent (Convento de Santa Clara-a-Nova) at Coimbra.
- Pedro Nunes, Famous mathematician in the 16th Century.
- Miguel Torga, Portuguese writer of prose and poet.
- Carlos Paredes, Portuguese musician.
- Carlos Mota Pinto, Portuguese political figure, interim prime minister of Portugal between 1978 and 1979.
- Sérgio Conceição, Portuguese footballer.
Gallery
See also
- University of Coimbra
- Associação Académica de Coimbra
- Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra
- Queima das Fitas
- Fado de Coimbra
- Joanina Library
- Académica
- Coimbra Group of universities
- Centro, Portugal
External links
- [O portal da Cidade de Coimbra]
- [Central Tourist Region]
- [Coimbra's Municipality]
- [University of Coimbra]
- [Região Centro] (about Centro region)
- [Forum Coimbra]
- [Coimbra photos]
- [Photos from COIMBRA]
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| Arganil | Cantanhede | Coimbra | Condeixa-a-Nova | Figueira da Foz | Góis | Lousã | Mira | Miranda do Corvo Montemor-o-Velho | Oliveira do Hospital | Pampilhosa da Serra | Penacova | Penela | Soure | Tábua | Vila Nova de Poiares | |
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