Paço das Escolas

The Baroque Library is located in the central space of the Paço das Escolas (School Court). It’s the place where one can find the buildings and monuments that constitute the core of the University of Coimbra and an important part of the area recently considered World Heritage by UNESCO.­

This area gathers a group of heterogeneous buildings, where you can discover the perfect combination between structures with hundreds of years and constructions from the time of the Portuguese dictatorship, built during the 20th century. Regardless of their origin, all these buildings are extremely symbolic for the University and for the local people.

Besides the Baroque Library, this space also houses the Hall of Capelos, the halls of Private Examination Room and of Arms, the academic prison and the chapel of San Miguel, as well as some of the most iconic symbols of the city: the Tower – called The Goat –, the Porta Férrea (Iron Door) and, finally, the Via Latina.