City of Coimbra

                              

                              City of Coimbra

A view of Coimbra's University Hill as seen from the Mondego River

Coimbra (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈkwĩbɾɐ ]) is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. According to the 2001 Census, provided by the Portuguese Instituto Nacional de Estatística (English: National Institute of Statistics), the city proper had a population of 101,069. The city of Coimbra is one of the most important urban centres in Portugal (after the much larger cities of Lisbon and Porto), playing a central role in the northern-central littoral and interior of the country. It is the principal centre in the Centro region, the District of Coimbra and the Baixo Mondego subregion.

Almost every nook of Coimbra speaks of historical significance and beauty. Located in central Portugal, the city prides itself as being the home of the world’s second oldest university in the world, the University of Coimbra. Being home to one of the oldest universities in the world, some of Coimbra’s main attractions involve traditional events held by the university. One of these is the Festa das Latas, a noisy parade held to welcome new students who are then baptized to the academic life in the Mondego River. The Queima das Fitas is also another university spectacle, where at the end of the academic year, students burn the ribbons attached to their gowns; as a part of holding academic traditions, students wear a long black robe under a black cape with ribbons of different colors, each of which represents a particular faculty. The historical tour around Coimbra Portugal region does not end in the academic ceremonies, though. Around a dozen of kilometers from the city center lies the impressive representation of the ruins of the Roman town of Conimbriga, where the Romans settled during the Iron Age. Built in 1962, the Museu de Conimbriga houses artefacts from the era that would blow any history buff’s mind away. These include a bust of Augustus Caesar and tesselated floors and mosaics the motifs of which include Roman villas and baths.

                                                          Library. Portugal. Coimbre.

                                                                   
 
The trip to Portugal would not be complete without visiting its impressive churches and monasteries. While in Coimbra, Portugal, visitors should not miss the Santa Cruz Monastery, whose historical significance does not end in art and religion. The monastery also holds political significance as its scriptorium was where the propaganda machine of the first king of Portugal, King Afonso Henriques, was operated. The king’s tomb is found in the monastery. Moreover, the Santa Clara Velha Monastery is also an attraction as it is where the remains of two of the most revered queens of Portugal, Santa Clara and Ines de Castro, were temporarily laid to rest.

                                                                       Santa Cruz Monastery

When visitors are overwhelmed by the weight of the city’s historical beauty, they can rest their eyes on the beauty of the city’s botanical gardens. Coimbra prides itself as being home to the largest boanical gardens not only in Portugal but also in Europe.


There is no doubt that Coimbra Portugal region has so much to offer, especially in terms of historical beauty, that visitors may not know where to start their tour. A tip for visitors of the city, though, is to begin their tour in Largo da Portagem, where the tourist information center is found.

Coimbra can be reached by bus, train or car. It is internally connected by a huge bus network, the SMTUC, and trolleybuses. By train, the city is only one hour away from Porto and 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Lisbon.

                                 

                                    Koimbra

Koimbra – miestas vidurio Portugalijoje, Vidurio Portugalijos regione, prie Mondego upės. Apskrities centras. Su priemiesčiais ~430 tūkst. Tai trečia pagal dydį metropolinė zona šalyje po Lisabonos ir Porto.

Mieste veikia vienas seniausių Europoje Koimbros universitetas, įkurtas 1290 m. Miestas nuo senovės vystosi kaip mokslinis, medicininis, prekybinis centras. Veikia keletas valstybinės reikšmės ligonių, elektronikos, aukštųjų technologijų centrų. Taip pat vystoma tekstilės, keramikos, maisto, vynininkystės pramonė. Yra pusiaukelėje tarp Porto iki Lisabonos, prie šiuos miestus jungiančio greitkelio.

Koimbros teritorija minima nuo romėnų laikų kaip Aeminium. Vėlyvuoju antikiniu laikotarpiu miestas tapo arkivyskupijos centru, kai germanų gentys nusiaubė anksčiau juo buvusį Konimbrigos miestą. Nuo jo ir kilo Koimbros pavadinimas. Valdant vizigotams miestas vadintas Emínio. 711 m. Koimbrą užėmė maurai ir pavertė ją svarbiu prekybiniu centru. 1064 m. Leono karalius Fernandas I miestą atkariavo. Pradžioje tapo Koimbros grafystės centru, vėliau inkorporuota į Portugalijos grafystę. Pirmasis Portugalijos karalius Afonsas I pasirinko Koimbrą kaip savo karalystės sostine. Tuomet pastatyta katedra, Santjago bažnyčia, Santa Kruzo vienuolynas. 1255 m. sostinė perkelta į Lisaboną.

Miestas apjuostas gynybine siena, pastatytas gotikinis Santa Klara a Velja vienuolynas. Atradimų amžiaus metu Koimbra suklestėjo kaip menų, kultūros centras. XIX a. pr. Koimbrą užėmė prancūzai, miestas patyrė nuosmukį.

Koimbrą galima pasiekti, autobusu, traukiniu, mašina. Viena valanda kelio traukiniu nuo Porto miesto ir mažiau nei dvi valandos nuo sostinės Lisabonos.