Lomography

Guimarães
written by paper_doll on August 4th, 2008 , one comment (1 vote)

Please activate JavaScript to see this gallery.

Guimarães is a city located in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the district of Braga. It is a municipality made up of 68 townships, occupying an area of 242.32 km2 and including more than 160,000 inhabitants.

In 2001, UNESCO granted the Historic City Centre of Guimarães the distinction of “World Heritage Site”!
In my pictures you can see a castle, which is one of the many monuments of Guimarães. It was built in the 10th century by the Countess Mumadona Dias. The history of the castle is intimately linked with the founding of the Portuguese Nation, so the city is often referred to as the “birthplace of the Portuguese nationality”. Within its walls lived generations of ancestors to the first King of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques (Afonso I of Portugal), whom tradition says was born there as well. Take a look at the picture of the statue of the first king of Portugal! You can also see two pictures of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, located in the city centre.

Another monument you can see in my pictures is Palace of the Dukes of Bragança (Paço dos Duques de Bragança), built in the 15th century. In the mid-20th century, after a period of disuse and abandonment, the palace was renovated and saw new life as a museum. In addition to the Palace’s role as a museum, its top floor also serves as an official residence of the President of the Portuguese Republic, should he decide to stay overnight in the north of the country!

The city also has a cable car. The cable-car extends over 1.7 km and climbs 400m, providing the passenger with an unforgettable ride between the city and Penha mountain. Guimarães was chosen to be the European Capital of Culture in 2012, so everyone should come and visit!

Related link: http://www.guimaraesturismo.com/home_en/