Universidade de Coimbra e Biblioteca Joanina (University of Coimbra & Joanina Library, UNESCO)

The University of Coimbra, founded in 1290 and permanently settled in Coimbra in 1537 within the former royal palace at Paço das Escolas, is one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. The complex spans the Royal Palace, the Baroque Joanina Library built between 1717 and 1728 under King João V, the 18th-century Clock Tower, the Chapel of São Miguel with its gilded organ, and the ceremonial Sala dos Capelos where doctoral examinations and graduations are still held. The Joanina Library holds around 60,000 volumes on wooden shelving covered in gold leaf, organized across three interconnected chambers, and is still home to a small colony of bats that protect the books from insects at night. Visits proceed chronologically through the palace's royal and academic history before culminating in the library, which is entered in small timed groups to protect the wood and manuscripts from humidity and light. Restoration of the library's shelving and ceiling frescoes has been carried out periodically since the 20th century, and the university complex today functions simultaneously as an active academic institution and a heritage site, with students in black capes still crossing the same courtyards.