Universidade de Coimbra – Alta e Sofia
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How it came to be
The University of Coimbra began as a Studium Generale chartered by King Dinis on 1 March 1290 and confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV on 9 August that year. It opened in Lisbon, moved to Coimbra in 1308, and shifted between the two cities several times after that.
In 1537, under João III, the university settled in Coimbra for good and moved into the Royal Palace of Alcáçova on the hill, which it bought from the royal family in 1597. Colleges were built in the 16th and 17th centuries on the hill (Alta) and along Sofia Street, and in the 18th century the Marquis of Pombal reformed the university, while laboratories, a botanical garden and the University Press were added on the hill.
A large University City was built in the 1940s. For long periods the only university in Portugal, Coimbra shaped the universities of the Portuguese colonies, and in 2013 it was inscribed as a World Heritage site as the University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia.
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