Guimarães


Guimarães is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal.
Its historic town centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe. The Nicolinas are the city's main festivities.
Guimarães is referred as the capital of the Ave Subregion, and located in the historical Minho Province. The municipality has a population of 156,789 inhabitants according to the most recent data of 2023 in an area of. The current mayor is Ricardo Araújo. Guimarães, along with Maribor, Slovenia, was the European Capital of Culture in 2012. Guimarães also received the 2026 European Green Capital Award.
The city was settled in the 9th century, at which time it was called Vimaranes. This name might have had its origin in the warrior Vímara Peres, who chose this area as the main government seat for the County of Portugal which he conquered for the Kingdom of Galicia. Guimarães has a significant historical importance due to the role it played in the foundation of Portugal. The city is commonly referred to as the "birthplace of Portugal" or "the cradle city" because it was in Guimarães that Portugal's first King, Afonso Henriques was born, and also because the Battle of São Mamede – which is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal – was fought in the vicinity of the city. It was declared the most beautiful small city in Europe by the Condé Nast Traveler magazine in 2022.

History

The History of Guimarães is associated with the foundation and identity of the Portuguese nationality. Guimarães, as well as other settlements, precedes the foundation of Portugal and because of its role in the foundation of the country it is known as the "cradle of the Portuguese nationality". In 1128, major political and military events that would lead to the independence and the birth of a new nation took place in Guimarães. For this reason, in one of the old towers of the city's old wall is written "Aqui nasceu Portugal".

Ancient history

According to archeological findings in Citânia (Castro) of Briteiros and Sabroso and Penha's archeologic site, the area in which Guimarães is located has had permanent settlements since the late Chalcolithic period.
There is also evidence of Roman occupation, and a stone dedicated to the Roman emperor Trajan found in Caldas das Taipas suggests that this was already a spa town in Roman times.

Foundation

Following the Reconquista policy promoted by the Kingdom of Galicia in the 9th century, the medieval foundations of the actual city have roots in the 10th century. At this point, the Countess Mumadona Dias, erected a monastery in her property of Vimaranes, which led to the settlement of people in the area known as "vila baixa". At the same time, she ordered the construction of a castle on the hill area which became known as "vila alta", to defend the settlement. To connect these to other areas, the Rua de Santa Maria was built.
The monastery became the "Real Colegiada" and throughout time acquired importance due to the privileges and donations given to it by nobles and kings and it became a famous pilgrimage site.
Henry, Count of Portugal approved the first national foral possibly in 1096. The foral proves the growing importance of the village of Guimarães at that time, which was chosen as the capital of the County of Portugal.
On 24 June 1128, the "Batalha de São Mamede" took place in Guimarães.

Middle Ages

During the reign of king Denis, as the town was expanding, it was partially surrounded by a defensive wall. Meanwhile, mendicant orders settled in Guimarães and helped to mold the shape of the emerging city. Later, during the reign of John I, the wall was torn down and the two parts of the city were finally united and the city began to expand outside its old walls.
Guimarães was home to a notable Jewish community, concentrated around present-day Praça do Peixe and Rua do Espírito Santo. By the late 14th century, the community had contributed an annual tax of 25,000 réis. The area included communal institutions such as synagogues, schools, and a market. Following the 1496 decree by King Manuel I, requiring all Jews to convert or leave Portugal, some members of the community became Marranos. Notable individuals include Manuel Thomàs and the wife of rabbi Menasseh ben Israel. Public Jewish life in Guimarães ceased after the Inquisition. However, traces of its Jewish history remain in the urban layout of the city and through descendants.
The construction of St. Peter's Basilica began in 1737, and became a minor basilica in 1751, with formal completion of the work between 1883 and 1884.

Modern history

Until the 19th century the structure of the city did not suffer many transformations besides the construction of a few more churches, convents and palaces. It was by the ending of the 19th century that new urbanistic ideas of hygiene and symmetry that the village, that was promoted to city by the Queen Maria II on 23 June 1853 had its greatest changes.
The complete demolition of the city walls was authorized and the creation of many streets and avenues could start at that point. The controlled process of urbanization permitted the conservation of the city's magnificent historical centre.
Guimarães hosted the 2024 European Trampoline Championships.

Geography

Geology

rock formations occupy the majority of the municipality but schist rocks can also be found in certain zones in the northwest of the municipality. On the southeast, clay can be found in stream bed of the Ave, Vizela and Selho rivers.

Orography and hydrography

The municipality is delimited at north by the "Senhora do Monte", at northwest by the hills of Falperra, Sameiro, Outeiro and Penedice. To the south is the Monte da Penha, which is the highest point of the municipality, with a height of above mean sea level.
Guimarães is part of the drainage basin of Ave river which divides the municipality in half. The Ave river has as tributaries the Vizela, Torto, Febras and inside the city, the Selho, the Couros and the Santa Lúzia stream.

Climate

Guimarães is located in a valley surrounded by hills, at some distance from the sea. Summers tend to be lightly humid and hot, though still with some oceanic moderation compared to other locations further inland. Winters are generally cool and rainy, with about 29 days with frost per year on average. The last time it snowed with accumulation in the city was in January 2009, though nearby hills such as Penha may experience it more often. The average annual temperature is 14 °C.

Fauna

There is not much diversity, especially in the urban areas, but the municipality has some species of cynegetic interest such as: the red fox, the wild boar, the turtle dove, the thrush, the pigeon and the red-legged partridge. In the green areas of the city, the most common species are rodents, especially squirrels.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality of Guimarães is divided into 48 civil parishes, previously having 69, but some of these were extinct and merged in 2013, after a nationwide territorial reorganization.

Demographics

; Evolution of the population of the municipality of Guimarães

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; Evolution of the population in the city centre

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Culture

Guimarães is an average size city but with a booming cultural life. Besides its museums, monuments, cultural associations, art galleries and popular festivities, it has since September 2005, an important cultural space, the Vila Flor Cultural Center. This cultural center has two auditoria, exhibition center and a concert-cafe. Guimarães was the European Capital of Culture in 2012, together with Maribor in Slovenia.
Guimarães is also home to association football club Vitória S.C. who compete in the Primeira Liga, the top-flight of football in Portugal.
Guimarães was elected by The New York Times one of the 41 places to go in 2011 and called it one of the Iberian Peninsula's emerging cultural spots.

Cuisine

The fact that Guimarães was founded on the lands of a female convent had a great influence on the region's cuisine, especially its confectionery, such as the "Tortas de Guimarães" and, mainly, the "Toucinho do céu". Besides what is usual in Minho, such as "vinho verde", "Papas de sarrabulho", "Rojões", etc., the so-called "Bôla de carne" is also made here, consisting of a type of bread served with toucinho, sardines or other toppings.

Traditions and festivities

  • Festas Gualterianas - in honor of São Gualter, take place since 1906 in the first weekend of August. The "Cortejo do Linho" and the "Batalha das Flores" are part of the festivities which are ended by the "Marcha Gualteriana".
  • Nicolinas - are the festivities of the students of Guimarães, celebrated in honor of Saint Nicholas. The festivities start on the 29th of November and finish on the 7th of December. They are composed of different celebrations; the "Pinheiro" celebration being the most widely attended: after the "Ceia Nicolina", the participants parade the streets of Guimarães playing the "Toques Nicolinos" tune on drums while, traditionally, o Pinheiro is pulled in carts by bulls. Lately, it has been suggested that the "Nicolinas" should be a contender to be UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
  • Santa Luzia festivities - in honor of Saint Lucy they take place annually on 13 December, near to the chapel of Santa Luzia. One of the traditions of these festivities is the selling of traditional cakes made of rye flour and sugar, called "Sardão" and "Passarinha". According to the tradition, a boy should offer a "Sardão", which has a phallic form, to the girl and if the girl was interested in dating the boy, she should reply by gifting him with a "Passarinha".
  • Romaria Grande de São Torcato – one of the biggest romarias in Minho, takes place annually in July in the village of São Torcato.

    Museums, cultural spaces and art galleries

The city of Guimarães has several cultural spaces of reference at a regional and national level. Among the several museums of the city, the Alberto Sampaio museum is the one that stands out. Founded in 1928, it opened its doors to the public in 1931; it is located in the old site of the Canon the Collegiate of Our Lady of Oliveira. It contains a rich collection of pieces from the 14th, 15th and 16th century, including one rare vest that was used by the king John I.
The Martins Sarmento Society is one of the country oldest institutions dedicated to the study and preservation of archaeological artifacts. The society owns two museums: the Archaeological Museum of the Martins Sarmento Society, which is known by its prehistory and protohistory collections and also its numismatics and epigraphy collections; and the Castro Culture Museum which is dedicated to the Castro culture.
There is also: the Primitive Modern Arts Museum, located in the Domus Municipalis, which contains a collection of naïve art; the Museum of the Village of São Torcato, which is dedicated to the region and its relationship with the monastery and Saint Torcato ; the Agriculture Museum of Fermentões, which exhibits collections of the traditional agricultural practices of the region; and the Museum of São Sebastião, inaugurated on 24 March 1984, which contains mainly sacred art.
Other cultural venues include:
  • Vila Flor Cultural Center is the main cultural venue in Guimarães. It was built in 2005, besides the restored Vila Flor Palace and its surrounding area. It has two auditoriums, a concert-cafe and an exhibition gallery. The surrounding gardens of the old palace were also redone and in 2006, received an honorable mention in the Public Exterior Spaces category in the National Landscape Architecture Award.
  • São Mamede – Guimarães Arts and Shows Center
  • Raul Brandão Municipal Library has its headquarters in the city and also has branches in Pevidém, Caldas das Taipas and Ronfe. It offers its mobile library services to 42 parishes and services the city schools and prison.
  • The Art Laboratory was founded in 2004 by ESAP students. It is a cultural space for exhibitions, performances, music and art workshops.
  • Alfredo Pimenta National Archive, founded in 1931, contains the archives for municipality of Guimarães and also the Braga district.

    Sports

Guimarães has two major sports club, Vitória Sport Clube, whose football (soccer) team has been the city's representative in the Primeira Liga every year, having already conquered a Portuguese Cup in 2012/13 and a Portuguese Supercup in 1988, and Moreirense Futebol Clube, whose football (soccer) team is also in Primeira Liga for some years and already won the Portuguese Second Division in 2013/14 and the Portuguese League Cup in 2016/17.
During Vitória SC European campaigns, the Portuguese team played against teams like Arsenal FC, Atletico Madrid, Real Sociedad, Eintracht Frankfurt, Parma FC and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Vitória SC also has handball, basketball, volleyball and water polo squads competing in the top divisions of their sports.

Society

In 2008, the city ranked second in the index of most livable city in Portugal. It is also the 10th least polluted city in the country according to IQAir.
In 2004, 89% of the population had running water; it was forecast that the number would raise to 95% by 2006. In 2001, 63.5% of the population had basic sanitation; it was forecast that the number would raise to 80% by 2008. In 2001, 100% of the population had access to waste management services.
However, several people complain that the city, together with other cities of the Braga district has had an unaesthetic and unorganized growth.

Newspapers

Guimarães ranks fourth in the country for available newspapers. The oldest was the "Azemel Vimaranense", founded in 1822; it possibly had its publication halted by the Vilafrancada incidents. From 1856, other newspapers start to appear, amongst them "A Tesoura de Guimarães". Actually the city's newspapers are:
  • O Comércio de Guimarães
  • O Cónego
  • O Conquistador
  • Desportivo de Guimarães
  • Entrevillas
  • O Expresso do Ave
  • Jornal do Adepto
  • Lordelo Jornal
  • Notícias de Guimarães
  • O Pilar
  • O Povo de Guimarães
  • Reflexo – O Espelho das Taipas
  • Sport Jornal dos Desportos
File:Teatro Jordão 2.jpg|thumb|right|The Jordão Theatre located in Urgezes is an important cultural center in Guimarães

Radio

There are two stations headquartered in the town: Radio Fundação and Radio Santiago.

Television

The Guimarães TV transmission is made online since 24 July 2007; it is the result of a collaboration between the city's assembly and the Guimarães Cybercenter. Its contents are feature in the Região Norte TV channel which is available through cable.
The "canalguimarães" was another online channel that started operating in March 2010. It is the fruit of the effort put in by an arts association, the "Associação de Socorros Mútuos Artística Vimaranense", one of the oldest associations of the city.

Economy

Guimarães is one of the most industrial municipalities in Portugal. Its primary industries are textiles, shoe industry and metalomechanics.

Transport

Guimarães is linked to Porto by the Guimarães line. This railway line was originally built with narrow gauge track, then modernised and rebuilt to the broad Iberian gauge in the first decade of the 21st century. The train service is operated by Comboios de Portugal. Locally, Guimarães is served by TUG which operates 21 bus routes serving the city.
The Guimarães Cable Car, a gondola lift, links the city centre with the top of Monte da Penha.

Twin towns – sister cities

Guimarães is twinned with:

Medieval and Early Modern