Guimaraes - Where Portugal Was Born

On this day we drove from Braga to Guimaraes, about 25mins, to explore the city on a day trip. Guimaraes is known as the place where Portugal was born. Its historic town centre has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition of an “exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe.

From Wikopedia: “The city is commonly referred to as the "birthplace of Portugal" or "the cradle city" (Cidade Berço in Portuguese) 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.”

Our first stop in Guimaraes was at the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza. The is a medieval estate of the Dukes, initiated around 1421. The palace had fallen into ruin over the centuries, but was restored in the 20th century to serve today as a museum to the earlier eras. After visiting here we explored the nearby Castle of Guimaraes, a medieval military fortification built around the 10th century.

After visiting these two sites we had some lunch and then proceeded to spend the afternoon walking around the beautiful historic centre of Guimaraes. On this same day there were many groups of university students marching around the city, some in unusual fashion. Guimaraes is the home of the University of Minho, which has over 21,000 students. The students were marching for Latada, part of Freshers week. Hundreds of students were marching, the newest ones dressed in creative outfits, including wearing face paints and strings of metal cans, while in some cases being sprayed with water or beer by the more senior students, who were laughing enjoying the freshman rituals! The senior students meantime, were dressed elegantly in black robes and hats!

We walked around exploring the beautiful historic centre of the city, filled with numerous small quaint squares and scenic corners, including the Largo da Republica, Largo da Oliveiro, Largo do Toural and the famous wall segment adorned with the inscription “Aqui Nasceu Portugal.” This translates to “Portugal was born here.” When we went through this area it had dozens of students walking through. When they came to the Aqui Nasceu Portugal location, the students stopped, removed their hats, knelt down and sang the Portugal national anthem. It was quite an emotional scene.

Guimaraes is a beautiful town where one could easily stay for more than a day and enjoy the city. It is easily accessible by train from Braga or Porto as well.

Here are some pictures from the time in Guimaraes:

After exploring the city of Guimaraes our day was not done for sightseeing. When we drove out of town we stopped at viewpoint Miradouro da Penha, overlooking the town.

Then, on our drive back to Braga we stopped, just as sunset was imminent, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady Sameiro, which overlooks Braga.

Photos from Miradouro da Penha: