Academic Museum

The Academic Museum has an exhibition with a unique contribution to the knowledge of student life in Coimbra and in the European identity.

At the beginning of the 14th century, after the foundation of General Studies (1290), a unique link was established between the University and the city of Coimbra. It was in the Palace of Alcáçova, later the University Palace, that the bulk of university teaching would be concentrated while the life of the city grew between the hill and the Mondego.

Already in the 18th century, the Marquis of Pombal instigated a profound reform of education by adding to the initial Faculties of Theology, Canons, Law and Medicine the Faculties of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. These modifications introduced practical teaching, namely with the installation of the Cabinet of Experimental Physics and the Cabinet of Natural History (in the former Colégio de Jesus where we are now), as well as the building of the Laboratory of Chemistry.

Today, the University of Coimbra, the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world, is a clear reference in the European Union.

In the center of the first room we find a reproduction of the University Tower. This construction materializes in an iconic way the union between the city and the University. Inside it is possible to see one of its bells.

To visit this space you can choose two ways: If you choose the city's door (left side) you can feel the atmosphere of a Republic and dive into the Burning of the Ribbons party. If you choose the University door, (right side), you will enter a classroom that will lead you later to the trophy room.

Finally, both routes culminate in a small room dedicated to the music of Coimbra, present in the experiences of those who passed through here.