More Coimbra University photos

We started our visit to the university by going to the old Baroque library. Then we visited St. Michael’s chapel and a former royal palace (from when Coimbra was the capital). Our tickets gave us entrance to all these buildings, as well as entry to the Science Museum, so off we went to the other side of the campus to see this museum. At first, law, medicine, grammar and logic were taught at this university. Then, with the rise of sailing and exploration in Portugal, astronomy and geometry were added. It is still the most respected university in the country.

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 together 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 in 1772, when the teaching of the sciences became very important.

The unique science instruments and collections of species from many zoological groups make up what is the most important science collection in Portugal, and one of the most important ones in Europe.

We loved seeing the old lecture halls with their beautiful wooden teachers’ desks, wood stoves and the rows of student seating.

By the way, I should mention that we have seen many students proudly wearing black “Harry Potter-like” wool capes with rips near the hems. The cape is torn whenever something exceptionally important occurs to the wearer. The capes were originally worn because of the strong Jesuit influence on the university. Burning of colourful ribbons (used for tying books together when carrying them) at graduation, is another old tradition.Read more