Coimbra

Coimbra (francized in Coïmbre ) is the university town oldest of the Portugal. It is an important city, the third of Portugal, located at the center of the country and overhanging the river Mondego.

Denomination

The French name of the city east “Coïmbre”. Attested since the Early middle ages, this name know more and more the competition of the toponym “Coimbra”, imposed by the practice of Portuguese-speaking immigration.

General information

It is in Coimbra that the first Portuguese university was built, the Université of Coïmbre. It takes into account among oldest the Sorbonne, Bologna, Oxford or Salamanque. The city remains populated of enormously of students from all Portugal to make their studies here. There are many ritual and traditions coeds, like that called the “praxe”. The traditional costume of the students: a complete black for the boys, a black tailor for the girls, all that with a black tie and a cape.

To 200 km of Lisbon and to 100 km of Oporto, it is sprinkled by Rio Mondego. It was the national capital of the culture in 2003.

History

Cité monumental with the narrow streets, medieval places, staircases and arcs. Coïmbre was the birthplace of the six first kings de Portugal and, in competition with Guimarães, the capital of Portugal before the catch of Lisbon. One can always admire the beautiful tombs of the first two kings de Portugal in the chorus of the Church Holy Cross. To also see the old Romance cathedral (Velha).

The Romain S baptized the Æminium city. Later, at the same time as the increase in the population, it (Re) takes the name Conimbriga. In 711, the Moors reach the Iberian peninsula and Coimbra was not forgotten and becomes an important commercial warehouse between Christian North and the Arab South, with a strong community Mozarabe. In 1064, the city is definitively taken again by Ferdinand Large the of León. Coimbra reappears and becomes the most important city in the South of the river Douro, and the capital of a vast county controlled by the Mozarabe Sesnado. With the foundation of the county of Portugal, the count Henri and the queen Therese de León make of it their residence and the future first king de Portugal Alphonse Henriques, will be born safe from his walls. The king made the first capital of the country of it, which it will remain until in 1255 when Lisbon replaces it in this role.

To the 12th century, Coïmbre had already an urban structure, divided between the high city indicated by Alta or Almedina where the aristocrats, the clergy lived and, later, students. In the low city (Baixa) we find the trade, the poor craftsmen and districts.

Since half of the 16th century, the history of the city is assimilated to the history of its university. It is only as from the 19th century that the occupation exceeds the fortifications which will disappear with the reforms from the Marquis de Pombal. During first half of the 19th century, the occupation by the French troops with Masséna and Junot and the extinction of the religious orders marked one difficult period for the city. However, second half of the century saw a recovery in 1856, when arrived the telegraph and lighting at gas; in 1864, it is the inauguration of the railroad and eleven years later a railway bridge on water of the Mondego river is installed.

A local tradition of the Fado, qualified of academic, is very long-lived there.

Demography

Economy

Coimbra has an airport (code AITA: CBP).

Évêché

  • Diocese of Coimbra
  • Cathedral of Coimbra
  • Old cathedral of Coimbra
  • New cathedral of Coimbra

Monuments

  • Old seat of the University of Coïmbre.
  • Joanina Library.
  • Hood of San Miguel.
  • Turn of the University.
  • Arcs and Porte of Almedina.
  • Arcs of the Garden.
  • Shoed Door.
  • Convent of Holy María de Celas.

Twinnings

Subdivisions

The municipality of Coimbra groups 31 parishes (Freguesia, in Portuguese), including 11 constitutive of the city of Coimbra:
  • Almalaguês
  • Almedina (Coimbra)
  • Ameal
  • Antanhol
  • Antuzede (Coimbra)
  • Arzila
  • Assafarge
  • Botão
  • Brasfemes
  • Castelo Viegas
  • Ceira
  • Cernache
  • Eiras (Coimbra)
  • Lamarosa
  • Ribeira de Frades (Coimbra)
  • Santa Clara (Coimbra)
  • Santa Cruz (Coimbra)
  • Santo António back Olivais (Coimbra)
  • São Bartolomeu (Coimbra)
  • São João C Campo
  • São Martinho de Árvore
  • São Martinho C Bispo (Coimbra)
  • São Paulo de Frades (Coimbra)
  • Woodland São
  • Nova (Coimbra)
  • Souselas
  • Taveiro
  • Torre de Vilela
  • Torres C Mondego
  • Cheap Trouxemil
  • of Matos

Internal bonds

Photographs

  • photograph gallery (into Creative Commons)
  • photographs of COIMBRA
  • virtual Visit of COIMBRA in 60 photographs

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