The University of Coimbra sits at the highest point in the city. This hilltop positioning is no accident. Not only is height an excellent vantage point to see all of Coimbra and the River Mondego, but it is also a symbolic reference to the importance knowledge and education is placed in the heritage and pride of the Portuguese people.
Many of the buildings and cathedrals that make up the university complex are a mix of architectures. Some in fact, will see numerous design styles in a single structure.
The stand out and center point building of the university is the Paço das Escolas (also known as the Patio of the University). This is the former palace of the king who is responsible for relocating the university from Lisbon in 1537. Many of the rooms have remained untouched throughout the centuries and are still in use today. For instance, the former thrown room in the main building is still today used for ceremonial opening and closing of the academic year.
Probably the most impressive sight at the university is the Baroque Library. Built in 1717 under the reign of King John V, the library holds tens of thousands of volumes of books collected from and documenting life, conquests and knowledge during the 16th and 17th centuries. The décor is beautifully crafted of exotic woods brought back from the discoveries in Brazil and the Orient. And, the facility remains a functioning library even today. Students and scholars can request to review a book 24 hours in advance. But probably the most interesting and actually hard-to-believe fact about the library is the way in which they protect the books from bug infestation. It seems, every night, bats are allowed to enter this beautiful library to crawl behind the shelves and feast on insects that might otherwise destroy the ancient texts. I promise…they tell me this is true!
