Coimbra – The City of Scholars
Once the capital of Portugal, Coimbra rebounded by becoming a cultural and academic capital of the nation. Jk Rowling, the author of Harry Potter, was inspired by Coimbra and its famous school uniforms for her landmark Harry Potter series, observing the old academic traditions first hand while living in Portugal (see Porto).
I was lured to the city for many reasons, but had not really planned my visit beyond a nebulous day trip from Lisbon. While in the Portuguese capital, I had a group of Poles bunking with me. I got talking to them over a few days and at one point mentioned I wanted to go to Coimbra sometime later that week. In response, they informed me that they were Erasmus students living in Coimbra and that if I were to come to the city, I could stay with them for a night or two and we could party amongst the students! This offer was badly accepted and I was greeted by my hosts at the train station a few days later.
Even though communication was difficult with my new friends, there was enough mutual mutual English/Polish going around that we could understand each other. I was given a tour of the town and then stopped at a corner store to pick up some potatoes, chicken and an industrial quantity of local wines. I cooked supper for my hosts and while I was peeling potatoes they communicated my Polish friend back in Ottawa from my phone, in Polish probably to his confusion. Its a good thing that I had a big supper as my night out in Coimbra was my most lethal in Portugal, consuming several bottles of wine, shots and beers. I am proud to say I was able to keep up with the Poles, great drinkers they are. After a group picture we made it out to the bars.
Table of Contents
- Geography
- A Brief History of Coimbra
- University Traditions and Nightlife
- Exploring Coimbra
- Catch a View of the Hillside City from River
- Exploring the Lower Town
- Catch a Glipse at Medieval Coimbra just Outside the Old Walls, incl; the old City Wall, a Timber Framed Building and One of Many Historic Churches
- Monastery of Santa Cruz and the Baixa of Coimbra
- Visit the Early Mediveal Cathedral and wander the Narrow Alleys on the Inside of the City Walls
- Take a Breather in the Botanical Gardens and See a Stunning Roman Archway
- Exploring the Upper Town (Alta de Coimbra)
- Exploring the West Bank of the River
- Conclusion
Geography
Located roughly in the center of Portugal, this town located on a hill overlooking the Mondego River, is a dramatic sight, for sure. The river allows this inland city access to the Mediterranean, distinguishing it from other interior cities. The fourth largest city of Portugal it is known for its warm Mediterranean climate as well as its position as the largest city in the Centro region.
A Brief History of Coimbra
Antiquity
Going by the name of Aeminium, the city was founded during Roman times. Archeological evidence indicates that this was a fairly prosperous settlement, mostly due to its position between Olipso (Lisbon) and Bracara Augustus (Braga).
The city was taken by the Visigoths during the fall of Rome.
Moorish Period
The city was wrestled away from the now christian Visigothic kingdom in 714 by the Moors, an Arabic Muslim people that had invaded the Iberian peninsula from North Africa.
As a response the Reconquista would be launched by Christian’s in northern Spain and Portugal to retake lands from there new owners. The city suffered greatly during this period as the city exchanged hands many times. It was almost abandoned by the time it was retaken but by 987 it was once again in Moorish hands. In 1064 the Spanish Kingdom of Castile would take the city. The domain would slip to Henri, the count of Portugal, a northern region of the Iberian peninsula centered around the city of Guimarães.
Portuguese Kingdom
The city was again taken by the Moors for a brief stint in 1116 but was quickly retaken by Afonso Henriques, the son of Henry and the founder of Portugal. Under his rule the city would grow into one of the most important in the rapidly expanding Portuguese kingdom. Coimbra was the capital of Portugal from 1131 to 1255. During the 12th century The city developed as a center for the Portuguese jewery and consisted of an upper citadel with a lower town. Furthermore a cathedral was built and the city walls reconstructed.
In 1308, t the start of the Renaissance the Portugal moved its university from Lisbon to Coimbra under King Dinis I, the Poet King. Eventually the university would be moved to the Royal Palace, located on the hill overlooking the city.
Portuguese Empire (The Age of Exploration)
The arrival of great wealth from Portugal’s colonies allowed Coimbra to revamp its infrastructures and many churches adopted the Manueline and later ornate baroque style. In 1772, the Marquis of Pombal, one of the great Portuguese reformers (and prime ministers) began a massive reform of the university.
Coimbra was including in the Iberian Union between Spain and Portugal but avoided much of the fighting when the the war broke out between both. The conflict was caused by the simple fact that the proud Portuguese people wanted a way out of this arrangement.
The town was captured by the French in 1810, as part of the Napoleonic war but was soon retaken by the Englishman Nicholas Trant and his band of Portuguese militiamen.
Portuguese Republic and Modern Era
Coimbra has retained its position as a center of European education and is currently one of the top destinations for Erasmus students. The city has grown but has not kept pace with its historic peers, allowing it to have kept some level of charm.
University Traditions and Nightlife
The Portuguese “Frosh Week”
School Uniforms (Capa e Batina)
The Portuguese school uniform, a distinctive black outfit with a cloak or robe has been in use since the 16th century. The cloaks are a proud possession of the students who adorn their capes with badges. The uniform system began with a dress code consisting of a religious robe and then mutated over time. From Coimbra the practice spread to other major major centers such as Lisbon and Porto when those cities acquired universities. The universities throughout Portugal have adopted regional variations of the uniform. It is in Porto that JK Rowling observed these uniforms, becoming those famous wizard garments in Harry Potter.
The Initiation “Praxe”
To earn ones robes, students must complete the “Praxe”. Much like rushing a fraternity or participating in frosh week where upper clansmen guide them. The upper clansmen make them perform a series of tasks and sometime hilarious gags to prove themselves over the course of a week at the start of September, although events such as these happen ensue over the entire year. At the end of the week the students are “Baptized” and receive their caps. You will find much of these shenanigans at the Praca de Republica and the baptism sometimes taking place in the ponds and fountains of in nearby gardens.
Of course there are boring people in every country that decry fun traditions such as these. In this case these anti-praxe people are not so dissimilar to those in North America that decry the youthful shenanigans of Frosh Week. To them I say “Get a life!”.
Dance and Party the Night Away on the Streets of Coimbra
Just east of the university in the lower town you will find the Praca de Republica, a public square that is the center of of university life. The above mentioned jardim da seraia can be found here as well as continuation of the public realm on the median of Avenue sa da Bandeira. The streets fill up at night as this is the traditional nightlife area of the city. You can try your hand at one of the bars on the square such as Mandarim. For those looking for a nightclub I recommend Bar 24 on Avenue sa da Bandeira. The real treat is to come out of one of these dives and into the square where it will be filled by partying students. The What’s up Doc Bar (the one with the red bull sign!) will be serving drinks in plastic cups in the square, including shots! This is a great place to meet people and to try your hand at some bad Portuguese. I was with my polish friends and as such I was speaking a combination of broken Polish, English and the few words of Portuguese I know.
Exploring Coimbra
Leaving the Coimbra train station located near the river, your first introduction to coimbra will be the narrow streets and alleys of the once walled medieval old town, from here your adventure begins. Here is a list of things to look for when in the city!
Catch a View of the Hillside City from River
Before you enter the old town, make sure to walk along the water to the Santa Clara Bridge. This unremarkable structure offers a remarkable panorama of the hill that the city is built into.
Exploring the Lower Town
Directly across from the train station you will enter the lower town, the medieval heart of residential Coimbra. While the upper was always occupied by magistrates, royal and scholars, this was where the regular people lived as such expect to see many churches and apartment blocks.
Catch a Glipse at Medieval Coimbra just Outside the Old Walls, incl; the old City Wall, a Timber Framed Building and One of Many Historic Churches
Not far from the train station, past the stunning rounded tip flatiron Hotel Astória, on R. do Srg you will find the best preserved part of the medieval core. Down a narrow alleyway you will spot the Igreja de S. Bartolomeu, the oldest religious structure surviving in the city. On a residential wall at the back of the structure you will find the Casa Medieval, a timber framed structure harkening back to the early days of the city. The church dates from 957 with a facelift being performed during the course of the 18th century.
Past the church you will find the on Porta e Torre de Almedina, a square medieval tower/gate leading upward to the cathedral. You can access this tower though the barbican gate allowing you to pass under the structure.
Monastery of Santa Cruz and the Baixa of Coimbra
North West of the Igreja de S. Bartolomeu you will find the Baixa (downtown) of Coimbra, centering around the Praça do Comércio, much like the Baixa in Lisbon. Parallel to this stunning public place you will find a long pedestrian boulevard the R. Ferreira Borges. The square is lined with some of the most ornate buildings in the city and is home to Igreja de São Tiago, a 13th century church that is a popular stop on the Portuguese Commino to Compostella.
If you follow the pedestrian street you will eventually hit the Santa Cruz Church, home to some very important Roman remains, that of famed warloard king Afonso Henriques, first monarch of the kingdom of Portugal. Built between 1132-1223, on what was the edge of town at one time, the monastery was known as a center of knowledge and it is here that the famed king consolidated his royal power using its these resources (the scriptorium!).
Visit the Early Mediveal Cathedral and wander the Narrow Alleys on the Inside of the City Walls
From the gate, the alleys take you upward to the cathedral, one of the most important heritage structures in Portugal. The thick walled Romanesque structure is one of the most important structures of the old kingdom of Portugal.
Sé Velha, or the old Cathedral as it is called was constructed by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques after the Battle of Ourique, when he named Coimbra as his capital. It is the only Romanesque cathedral from the requonqista to survive unaltered from its original form. When the Jesuits were expelled by the Marquis de Pombal in 1772, the cathedral lost much of its importance as the bishopric was transferred to the new vacant new cathedral of Coimbra, a Manerist styled building. The later is located a few blocks north of the Old cathedral, alongside the National Museum Machado de Castro.
There is little else to do in this part of the city, exept to visit restorants and fado bars, while walking down charming medieval alleyways.
Take a Breather in the Botanical Gardens and See a Stunning Roman Archway
Located behind the university and sloping down towards the river is the Botanical Gadens of Coimbra. I was drawn in at first by the sight of the massive Roman aqueduct and its archways, one of the few reminders of the city during antiquity. To enter into the garden you will pass under the Aqueduto de São Sebastião arches. On the corner, where the garden reaches the university, you will find the Museu Botânico (Museu de História Natural), a natural history museum affiliated with the school.
The center of the park contain a beautiful fountain, and a great place to sit down and waste a few our in the afternoon. The grounds are massive so enjoy your time here.
Exploring the Upper Town (Alta de Coimbra)
The center of academic life in Portugal, this is where you will find the majority of Coimbra’s academic stock, both past and present.
Machado de Castro and the New Cathedrals
On the northern edge of the upper town you will see the previously mentioned New Cathedral as well as the rectangular Machado de Castro. The cathedral itself is an impressive 16th century structure that inspired the look of many such structures in the New World particularly Brazil.
The Machado is named after Joaquim Machado de Castro, an important Portuguese sculptor, and is one of the most important art museums in Portugal. Inaugurated in 1913 it is housed in the former bishop’s palace (Hence its proximity to the New Cathedral). The building is built over the old roman forum and for those who buy a ticket you can find old covered passageways from this era in the lower floors.
Explore the University
Continuing my tradition of trespassing in random academic buildings, I threw myself at this ancient campus wholeheartedly. Unfortunately the outer building are all modernist structures but once you cross the threshold, a door called the Porta Férrea you will enter the stunning Paço das Escolas. This U shaped complex is the ancient university complex. The far end of it is open, giving a stunning view of the river valley below.
On the nearest end of the square is the 18th century Via Latina, the principle campus building, a building attached to the others on side. Inside you will find a gem, the academic prison where faculty and staff could be held and tried. At the center of the square you will find a statue of John III. As part of this complex you will find, a narrow tower, many lecture halls and the Sao Michel chapel. Off to the west side you will find the Capela de Santo António and the Biblioteca Joanina. The late is one of the prettiest libraries in Portugal and is known for its unique system of having bats eat the pests who would in other circumstances damage the tens of thousands of volumes.
Exploring the West Bank of the River
The west bank of the river is less populated but still has a few things to do, other than just catching a panorama of the old town. Here are a few ideas!
Enjoy the Stunning View from the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Valha
The 13th century gothic monastery was built on the bank of the the Mondego River bur abandoned during the 17th century due to frequent flooding. A visitors center has been added to the site and the ruins restored making this an intresting site. From there walk up to the new monastery a few blocks away. Built on a hill overlooking the river, it offers a sublime view of Coimbra and the river below.
Walk the Grounds of the Sprawling Quinta das Lagrimas and Learn about its Gruesome Legend
On the west bank of the river, you will find a massive 12 acre estate, now a hotel, called the Quinta das Lagrimas. At first conceived as a hunting estate for the royal family, it eventually passed to the university for some time. The name of the estate derives from a ghost story centered around the key feature in the garden, the Fountain of Tears, the murder site of Inês de Castro the wife in waiting of Prince Prince Pedro of Portugal. Tears roughly translates to Lagrimas and as so the English name for this place is the estate of tears. It is said that she was murdered by Pedro’s father King Alonso IV, as her family as they were rumored to be using her to gain control of the throne though Pedro. When his father died he had the killer murdered and had her corpse put on the throne. He then had his noblemen swear fealty to her and kiss her decaying hand. Her ghost is said to roam the estate looking for her true love Pedro!
Conclusion
Coimbra, one of the traditional centers of Portugal, is often passed by for more tourist friendly locations on the coast. However foreigners are missing out. For those willing to truly engage with the students you will be richly rewarded.
