College of Jesus

Jesus College

College of Jesus, face to face with the Chimico Laboratory, is the reconstruction of the old building of the same name, established in 1542 and inaugurated in 1698 by the Company of Jesus. After the extinction of the Company in 1759, the Pombaline intervention between 1773 and 1775 adapted the college, which began to house the equipment intended for the experimental teaching of science. In this spirit, the offices of Natural History and Experimental Physics have been created in the building, preserved here to this day.

Physics Cabinet

The University of Coimbra's collection of physics instruments is one of the most remarkable and rare in Europe. Initially established at the Lisbon College of Nobles, it was transferred to Coimbra to found the Cabinet of Experimental Physics. What remains of the 18th Century Cabinet are true works of art, valued for the richness of materials and the perfection in execution that still occupy the original rooms and furniture. Because it remains in its original space maintaining its characteristics from the time of its founding and because its collection of scientific instruments is a remarkable representation of the evolution of physics in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Physics Cabinet has been classified as a Historic Site by the Society. Physics College in 2016.