Tag: Coimbra

As a photographer I found the Portuguese streets fascinating.  They’re not like what we have in the United States, where everything is two or more lanes of automobile traffic.   In Portugal, many of the streets, especially in the old sections of town, were very narrow and primarily used for foot traffic rather than cars.  Keep in mind that many of these roads were around for centuries before the automobile was invented and they were built to last.  In America we’re constantly patching and repaving and widening our roads.  We’re a throwaway society and we don’t expect permanence from anything- even from our roads.

Combra’s Rua do Quebra Costas was a great example of the wonderful streets to be found in Portugal.  For centuries Rua do Quebra Costas was a primary means of ascent from the lower town to the upper town.  Nicknamed “the Backbreaker” for its steep ascent, the street begins at the Barbican Gate, one of the last remnants of the wall that protected Old Coimbra from attacks by the Moors, and ends in front of the Sé Velha (old cathedral).  Much of it is a series of steps which makes it impassible for automobile traffic.  That’s fine with me.  It’s a strenuous walk full of wonderful surprises along the way.

As you make the walk from bottom to top, look for two sculptures by artist André Alves, Fado de Coimbra, which celebrates the beautiful music of Coimbra, and Tricana de Coimbra, an homage to the women of the city, seen in the photo below.

Located across from the Santa Clara Bridge, Largo da Portagem is the main square in Coimbra and a central gathering place.  The name comes from the fact that in the old days, goods coming into Coimbra from the south were taxed in the square.

The beautiful little square features the beautiful monument to Joaquim António de Aguiar, an 18th century politician and Coimbra native.  Interestingly, he was best known for signing into law an order that dissolved all church-run monasteries, convents and colleges, effectively extinguishing the great power that the church held in Portugal, turning the power over to the government instead.

The Barbacan Gate, at the base of the Torre de Almedina, is pretty much all that remains of the castle walls that once surrounded Coimbra.  Between the 8th and 11th centuries, Moors and Christians took turns conquering and occupying Coimbra until, in 1064, King Ferdinand I of León and Castile took the city from the Moors for the final time.

In 1139, Dom Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first king, chose Coimbra as the capital of the new kingdom.  Six Portuguese kings were born in Coimbra, and the city remained the seat of Portuguese power until 1260, when Dom Afonso III chose Lisbon as his capital.

The need for castle walls to protect the city are gone.  The walls were long ago integrated into the surrounding buildings, leaving the Barbacan Gate and the Torre de Almedina as the last evidence of the castle that, for centuries, protected the city from invaders.

Today, the Barbacan Gate serves as the entrance to the traditional, and most famous, way to access the Old City and Coimbra University.  After passing through the gate, you climb the many stairs of Rua Quebra Costa, known as “the Backbreaker” for a long, arduous walk to the top of the hill.

Just inside the gate, at the bottom of Rua Quebra Costa, there’s a quiet little cafe, where it’s fun to sit outside with a beer or a glass of wine, and people-watch.   It’s one of my favorite spots in Coimbra, with the Fado de Coimbra sculpture just inside the gate, and the Tricana de Coimbra, another sculpture, a few yards farther along.  It’s a nice way to escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Coimbra.

Known as “the backbreaker,” Rua Quebra Costa is a steep lane, really more a staircase, that winds its way from Torre de Almedina to the the old city and the University of Coimbra.  along the way, you pass Fado ao Centro, the Cathedral and the Machado de Castro National Museum before reaching the university at the top.  Rua Quebra Costa is quite photogenic.  I especially love the Tricana de Coimbra sculpture that sits on a wall near the bottom of the lane.

Rua Quebra Costa is not a road to take if you’re in a hurry.  Take your time and enjoy the sights.