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Published: October 26th 2017
In the Science Museum in Coimbra
They killed and stuffed the Easter Bunny...Since then, city life has revolved around the state-run university. Wikipedia
We had originally planned to spend a few days in Coimbra, but decided to make it a day trip from Porto, and avoiding yet another change of residence. The hour and a quarter long train ride was inexpensive for seniors, who get half price with ID from any country!
We arrived mid-morning, and walked the short distance from the local train station (we had a free transfer from the long distance train station) to the old town center, below the University. We had coffee and local pastries at the famous Cafe Santa Cruz: "Café Santa Cruz is the most famous coffee house in Coimbra and arguably in the whole of north central Portugal. Opened on 8th May 1923, it has gone on to become something of an institution in the city for almost a century. Café Santa Cruz is located in a building dating back to the 16th century, which was originally built as an auxiliary chapel to the Santa Cruz Cathedral, with high vaulted ceilings and opulent design, lending a distinct feeling of history and grandeur to the building."
After coffee and
The Cafe Santa Cruz
"The interior is a mass of ribbed stone arches, stained-glass windows, delicate carvings and marble. The waiter’s station is grand enough to be used as an altar in its own right, with a heavy marble top on which to balance trays of drinks for the waiting hoards." a visit to the Santa Cruz Church, we started our walk up the steep hill (the only kind in Portuguese cities, apparently!) to the University. The streets are narrow and winding, with lots of student grafitti on the walls. Our first stop was the science museum.
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The Science Museum of the University of Coimbra (Museu da Ciência da Universidade de Coimbra) gathers the historical scientific collections of several units of the University of Coimbra, in Coimbra, Portugal. It includes the collection of scientific instruments from the 18th and 19th century of the Physics Museum, the collections of botanics, zoology, anthropology and mineralogy of the Natural History Museum, and the collections of the Astronomical Observatory and the Geophysical Institute of the University of Coimbra. Formerly there were several museums in the university, including a museum of physics, a museum of zoology, a museum of natural history, and a museum of mineralogy and geology, which were managed by different university departments. They merged in 2006/2007 to form the Science Museum of the University of Coimbra. Most of these collections date back to the reform of the University promoted by the Marquis of Pombal in 1772, where the teaching of the sciences took major importance, and are lodged in the contemporary buildings of the 18th century. This constitutes the most important science collection in Portugal and one of the most important ones in Europe."
There was an amazing amount of stuff to see, but the time was limited as you are only allowed in with a guide, for set amount of time. Our guide talked with us (we were the only non-Portuguese) at the end of the tour, and described what is was like last week when the fires practically surrounded the town.
Next. we walked to the main part of the campus, where old and new buildings rub up against each other. Salazar, the former dictator, built many new buildings that are very brutalist in style, a contrast the ornate original buildings still in use. While the historical buildings are all open to the public with an admission fee, students are attending classes in the same buildings, and even presenting their thesis in the medieval hall!
We toured the very famous library, the palace, and the chapel, before heading down the hill through the arboretum. We had a great political discussion with the two guides in
Saint Micheal's chapel at the end of our tour there. They talked to us about Salazar, and of course, Trump.
Once back down the hill, we walked into a square that was perhaps once the old Roman agora, and had a delicious dinner in small restaurant. While we were waiting for our food, I went into a linens shop, where three people helped me find small baby gifts...all in Portuguese!
Built in the 18th century during the reign of the Portuguese King John V, the Biblioteca Joanina is part of the University of Coimbra General Library. It is a National Monument and has a priceless historical value being one of the main tourist attractions among the older monuments belonging to the university. The building has three floors and shelters about 200000 volumes, of which 40000 are located on the first floor. All the bibliographic works are in the best condition since the building is a perfect vault, with a stable environment, throughout the year, from summer to winter. And most amazingly, the books are also protected by a small colony of bats, that during the night consume the insects that appear, eliminating the pest and assisting the maintenance of the stacks. Naturally, these mammals require additional care in order to prevent damage to the grains of the wooden furniture. Nightly, functionaries cover the "bufets" (
credenzas) with leather towels, and in the morning, the library is cleaned.
"After the final settlement of the University in this city in 1537, the Royal Palace joined in 1544 all Faculties of the University of Coimbra. This set an end to a itinerant route, for almost three centuries, between Lisbon and Coimbra. The University Tower holds the bells that have played a significant and regulating role in the university life, namely, the most famous of them all, the Goat (a Cabra), the bell that to this day continues to call the students to class."
The original chapel dates back probably to 11th century, built right after the conquest of the city from the Moors in 1064, just prior to the foundation of Portugal. It is dedicated to St. Michael, like all Portuguese Royal Chapels, because of it (religious) role in defeating the forces of evil. The current layout is the direct result of the 16th century renovations under the patronage of King Manuel I, whose decorative style has its patent mark on the side door,
Student grafitti
The feminist caravan is arriving... one of the simplest and most beautiful of its kind. The interior decoration was carried out over the 16th and 18th centuries and works by artists like Simão Rodrigues, Simão Ferreira, Joaquim Ferreira Bernardes and Francisco Araujo can be appreciated all throughout the building.
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