Coimbra

Sister cities

• Cambridge
• Aix-en-Provence
• São Paulo
• Esch-sur-Alzette
• Salamanca
• Macau
• Santiago de Compostela
• Zaragoza
• Dili
• Rio de Janeiro
• Poitiers
• Curitiba

History

The city, located on a hill by the Mondego River, was called Aeminium in Roman times. The Romans founded the civitas of Aeminium in this place at the time of Augustus (63 BC – AD 14), which came under the protection of nearby Conímbriga (in Condeixa-a-Nova), some to the south. The Roman city was encircled by a wall, and followed an orthogonal plan, with the cardo maximus and decumanus maximus crossing at the Forum. An aqueduct existed, the remains of which were incorporated into a latter medieval renovation. Aeminium fell under the influence, administratively, of the larger city of Conímbriga, until the latter was sacked by the Sueves and Visigoths between 465-8 and abandoned. It became the seat of a diocesis, replacing Conímbriga. Although Conímbriga had been administratively important, Aeminium affirmed its position by being situated at the confluence of the north-south traffic that connected the Roman Bracara Augusta (Roman name of Braga) and Olisipo (Roman name of Lisbon) with its waterway, which enabled connections with the interior and coast. The limestone table on which the settlement grew has a dominant position overlooking the Mondego, circled by fertile lands irrigated by its waters. Vestiges of this early history include the cryptoporticus of the former Rom Ataces, in order to show his gratitude had the picture of his new wife placed in a vase, with a serpent on one side and a lion walking towards her on the other. Those were the insignias of Ataces (lion) and Hermeric (serpent). Cindazunda had her eyes lifted up the sky and her hands raised as if thanking the Eternal for having been the medium between the father and the husband and having united with bonds of peace and friendship the serpent and the lion, up until that moment, enemies. As the walls and…

Geography

One of the nation's most important crossroads, Coimbra was historically at a junction between Braga and Lisbon, and its river access (the Mondego flows through the municipality) provided a route between the interior communities and the coastal towns (including the seaside city of Figueira da Foz, west of Coimbra). The historic city of Coimbra is located centrally within the municipality, connected to Lisbon () and Porto () by the IC2, IP3 and A1 motorways. The municipality is circled by several of its neighbouring municipalities in the Região de Coimbra, which include Penacova (in the northeast), Vila Nova de Poiares (to the east), Miranda do Corvo (to the southeast), Condeixa-a-Nova (to the south and southwest), Montemor-o-Velho (to the west), Cantanhede (to the northwest) and Mealhada (in the north and northeast). Just outside the municipality, there are also several picturesque mountain towns such as Lousã and Penacova, while spa towns and villages, such as Luso, Buçaco and Curia are commonplace. Although it ceased serving as the capital of Portugal in the 13th century, Coimbra retains considerable importance as the centre of the former Beira province, now designated the Centro region. It is considered alongside Braga one of the two most important regional centres in Portugal outside the Lisbon and Portos metropoles, the centre for the whole middle region of the country. With a dense urban grid, the municipality is known primarily for the city of Coimbra, itself famous for its monuments, churches, libraries, museums, parks, nightlife, healthcare and shopping facilities. Above all, its cultural life, oriented around the University of Coimbra, has historically attracted the nation's notable writers, artists, academics and aristocracy, securing its reputation as the…

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,965
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,735
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,716
• Silver wattle, Blue wattle, Mimosa

  Acacia dealbata Link · Magnoliopsida
  1,486
• Eurasian Blackcap

  Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,426
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,392
• European Greenfinch

  Chloris chloris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,314
• European Serin

  Serinus serinus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,311

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2020-04-19
  11 km ENE of Pombal, Portugal
• M 3.6 — 2017-02-01
  4 km WSW of Porto de Mós, Portugal
• M 3.9 — 2005-12-01
  1 km ESE of Soure, Portugal
• M 2.6 — 2005-07-02
  10 km N of Atalaia, Portugal
• M 2.6 — 2004-05-12
  1 km E of Sandim, Portugal
• M 2.7 — 2002-04-15
  13 km E of Macieira de Cambra, Portugal