Guimarães is one of Portugal's oldest towns and was the birthplace of the nation. It was chosen as the first capital of Portugal in 1128 and its well-preserved medieval center contains historic buildings from the 15th-19th centuries. The historic center is a maze of alleys surrounding the main squares of Toural Square and Largo da Oliveira, and contains important sites like the Castle, Ducal Palace, churches and museums that showcase the town's evolution. Guimarães is nicknamed "the city of a thousand windows" for the glowing windows visible after sunset.

1. GUIMARÃES
World Heritage Site - UNeSCo.
tHe toWN of a tHoUSaNd
WiNdoWS

2. The northern town of Guimarães is one of Portugal’s oldest urban
settlements and one of the country’s best preserved. Its medieval
centre and historic buildings have been listed by UNESCO as
World Heritage in 2001.
The first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, chose this former
Roman city to be the administrative capital of the kingdom after
his victory at the Battle of São Mamede, in 1128.. That’s why
Guimarães is known as the birthplace of the nation.

3. Guimaráes shows the
evolution of the
Portuguese building
techniques from the 15th
to the 19th centuries.
The historic centre is a
maze of alleys around
Toural Square and Largo
da Oliveira, the medieval
town square.
Other references are the
Castle, the Ducal Palace
and the Museum.
Santa Maria is the main
street in the pedestrian
old centre.

4. The Town Hall is at present located in the baroque building of the old
Santa Clara Convent. (16th century).

5. The neo-classical two-storey cloister

6. Praça do Toural
Toural Square

8. This is the civic square,
the most busy meeting
point for after work and
celebration days.
The Toural Square has
been renovated for the
2012 Cultural Capital
event.

9. The rich variety of windows glowing in the late hours of
sunlight is a local must see.

17. A nearby back street,
passing under first floor
corridors, leads to the
next square.

18. Largo Condessa do Juncal

21. This is a pretty and quiet place, where trees and azulejo ( blue
tiles) façades compose a quaint but colourful atmosphere.

26. In this square, most of
the houses were built
in the 18th and 19th,
centuries.
Iron balconies and tile
-covered façades are
a sign of the Romantic
period.

28. Now we enter the
pedestrian old town.

29. Largo da Oliveira
Olive Tree square

30. The old Town Hall (City Council Palace), from the14th century.

31. The outdoor terrace of the Hotel da Oliveira is ideal to sit and relax,
in sunny as well as in rainy days.

32. A lonesome olive tree still decorates the square, facing the gothic Salado
Memorial.

35. On the south side, a
stone gallery in the
style of northwestern
Iberia.

36. The Salado Memorial

37. This gothic porch was built
in 1342 to celebrate the
battle of Salado won by a
coalition of Portuguese and
Spanish armies against the
occupying Muslims.

39. The Romanic Church and
Abbey Nossa Senhora da
Oliveira (Our Lady of the
Olive Tree).
The Legend:
An olive tree. planted in
front of the church to
supply olive oil for the
altar lamps, withered and
died. Later on, a local
tradesman placed a
cross on the site and the
tree miraculously sprung
to life !

41. A detail of the false porch
over the front doorway

42. The Monastery’s romanesque cloister.

44. One of the small
statues in the
cloister’s garden.

45. Walking down a narrow alley, the Museum comes next.

46. The National Museum Alberto Sampaio displays religious art and
silverware as well as traditional handicraft and pannels of Portuguese
azulejos. It’s housed in buildings which were part of the Priory..

47. A pannel of blue and
yellow painted azulejos
from the 17th century.

48. The old quarter
It’s a maze of winding streets and
alleys around Largo da Oliveira,
flanked by three- or four-stored
half timbered houses, some with
colorful balconies, and now and
then larger baroque buildings.

49. The narrow and shady Egas Moniz street, former Rua Nova (New
Street), has been renovated under an European funded project.

50. This house in Rua
Nova, from the 17th
century, has won a
prize for its careful
restoration.

52. Rua Gravador Molarinho

53. A pleasant green corner behind an iron gate.

54. Praça de S. Tiago
Saint Jacob Square

55. This picturesque piazza, filled with cafés, bars and restaurants,
is just behind the Olive Tree Square.

56. This is the medieval heart of Guimarães.

60. Several balconies, mainly on the
second or third floor, are richly
sculpted in wood or in iron.

64. Santa Maria street

67. This was the main street in medieval times, linking the
Castle (uphill) down to the Santa Maria Monastery.

68. Casa do Arco (Arched House) is one more distinctive postcard.

70. One of the charming small shops in the historic area that are
a joy to discover.

73. Largo dos Laranjais, Orange Grove square

74. A hidden small square, romantic and perfumed.

76. Zona de Couros
South Downtown

78. South of the Toural and the
historic centre, a residential
area of narrow and steep
alleys, leading down to the
river Couros valley, displays
a variety of renovated
façades, some covered with
azulejo tiles.

79. It’s a most intimate and secret part of Guimarães.

83. The Youth Hostel
is installed in this
excellent building
on the lowest part
of Guimarães, by
the Couros river.

84. Martins Sarmento
Museum

85. This Museum is a private foundation and was created after careful
excavations in archeologic sites of the celtic era, some miles North
of Guimarães. It is also housed in parts of a previous St. Dominic
Convent from the 14th century.

86. The remaining gothic cloister of the St. Dominic convent is a
magic place, one of the best hidden secrets of Guimarães.

87. The cloister’s columns have richly decorated capitals,
figuring fauna, flora and humans. There are no two alike.

89. Two warriors of the
pre-national celtic
tribes that occupied
the northwest of the
Peninsula.

92. A bronze Phalera from an
archeological site nearby. Ribbed blue bowl, from a
site in southern Portugal

93. Golden bracelet,
from 3 BC to 3 AD.

94. Maybe the most spectacular object in the Museum – this celtic
toy, a bronze car representing a sacrifice rite and dedicated to
a war deity, dates from around 500-300 BC.

95. Vila Flor Palace
and Cultural Centre

97. This is the main venue for music concerts and theater,
and was a prized work of modern architecture living
together with a 18th century Palace.

100. The annual Jazz festival is an international event well known in the Jazz
scene. The town gets a livelier place in November.

101. Here, Maria Schneyder and her orchestra.

102. The Vila Flor Café is a special space for a cup of coffee, talking,
reading and maybe a surprise jazz session.

103. The Castle

104. The impressive square keep of the Guimarães castle dominates
the skyline for miles around.

105. This castle was built in the
10th century to protect the
town against invaders and
was expanded in the 12th
century as an arsenal and
palace.
The first King of Portugal
may have been born here,
but anyway the castle is
linked to the Foundation of
Portugal.

108. The Ducal Palace
Paço dos Duques de Bragança

109. Medieval, 1420-1422.
Built by the first Duke of Bragança, this manor house contains
Renaissance furniture, Flemish tapestries and Persian carpets.

111. Quite unusual cloister.

114. The duchess’ sleeping room.

115. Santa Marinha da Costa Monastery
(now a Pousada hotel)

116. It’s origin is as old as the 9th
century, but the Monastery’s
present buildings date back
from the 11th to the 18th
cent., undergoing several
renovation and enlarging
works.
The church is clearly in late
baroque style, some parts
are neo-classical.

118. The church nave, rich in gilded woodcarvings.

119. The Choir stalls.

120. The font, in a polychrome
tile decorated niche.

121. The light of late autumn
sunset creates a special
atmosphere inside the
Pousada.

122. A stairway connecting to the gardens, richly decorated
with azulejo pannels.

125. At the top of the monastery building, the porched
Balcony of Saint Jerome was a 17th century
addition.

130. Cerca da Costa Gardens

131. The Monastery’s
Gardens are just
one more little
secret few people
know about. And
free to visit !

138. Back to the start:
What a brilliant folly, a fountain in the centre of a balcony porch !
Unbelievable.

139. Pastelaria Clarinha, for local gourmet pastries from the monastic
traditions !

140. Hotel da Oliveira, right in the historic centre.

141. The new Boutique Hotel, at Largo do
Toural, facing a thousand windows.

142. Guimarães by night

146. Selection of texts and photos © Mário Ricca, 2015
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