Coimbra Day Two

I was up and about early in order to beat the crowds visiting the university library, said to be the most beautiful in the world. Entry is timed, with 60 visitors allowed in at each time slot. I took a taxi up the hill (these hills are steep!) so as to get the 9.00 am slot. Entry was through the basement which used to be the prison and now houses the stacks. From there, you work your way up to the third floor (the Noble Library) where absolutely no photography is allowed.

Students gather in the courtyard. The traditional uniform (which inspired J K Rowling) was based on the Jesuits garb and designed as an equaliser so there was nothing to distinguish between rich and poor students.

HenryVIII-like statue of King Joao III (1502-1557), posing like his contemporary.

Books in the stacks.

There are 60,000 books in total.

This floor has a special exhibit about early exploration of Japan. The Jesuits were the prime movers here.

St Michael’s Chapel with its painted ceiling.

Students in normal attire waiting for a lecture.

Next stop the Science Museum, housing natural history specimens from all over the world.

Giant beetles.

There is a koala in the middle of this lot.

More tributes to the Jesuits till they were finally expelled from Portugal.

And finally, here is an “illicit” photo taken on the top floor of the library. This was given to me by someone I met in the restaurant last night:

Another blog about the university:

https://sound-and-bites.home.blog/2019/03/21/the-meaning-of-books/