Municipal Museum of Coimbra: Almedina Tower – Walled City Center
About this good practice
Coimbra's defensive structure - made up of a Wall, Castle, Defence Towers and
the five City Gates - disappeared over time and was progressively assimilated
by other buildings. Some vestiges and buildings of this structure remain, namely the Torre de Almedina and the Torre de Anto - owned by Coimbra City Council - which
houses part of the municipality's museum structure.
The Walls of Coimbra are essential to the history of the city of Coimbra and the
formation of Portugal, and it’s therefore essential to make this history known
to those who live and visit Coimbra. The city's medieval heritage is of strategic
importance as a starting point for an informed visit of Coimbra. The
digitalisation supports our efforts to highlight the importance of this medieval
heritage of Coimbra, making it visible and contextualised. The digitisation of information on Coimbra's medieval history was achieved by building a model of the Wall and monuments of medieval times, animated by explanatory and illustrative films of different points of interest. These films, available in five languages, and video mapping projections are activated by the visitor according to their interests.
The promoter of this Best Practice is the Municipality of Coimbra, and its 2020
renewal was partially financed by PRO-MUSEUS (national funds).
The beneficiaries are local, national and international visitors, and specifically
the school public.
Resources needed
The digitalisation of Almedina Tower implied an investment of 36,154,62 Euros
- financed by 60% by PROMUSEUS, national funding. Currently 3 colleagues
from the Municipality of Coimbra work in the Medieval Tower – Torre de
Almedina.
Evidence of success
This Best Practice is considered very useful both from a tourist and educational
point of view. Its educational and pedagogical character for schoolchildren is
evident: out of around 7,000 visitors, almost 2,000 are students.
Tourism in Coimbra is very much centred on the heritage of the University of
Coimbra and the Municipality of Coimbra has invested in other cultural
equipment’s that promote a broader vision of the city's history.
Potential for learning or transfer
We are certain that the digitisation of medieval heritage - particularly
structures that no longer exist as a whole - is a fundamental factor in promoting
the city's cultural heritage, strengthening the tourism sector, the attractiveness
of the territory and increasing the integrated knowledge of the history of
Coimbra and the country.
Other European cities will be interested to learn about this good practice, which
allows visually impaired people to explore the shapes and details of the
medieval tower through a sensory experience.
We believe that digitalisation - at the service of cultural and tourism strategies
- as in the case of the Almedina Tower, will be an inspiring tool for European
cities that have cultural heritage that has partially disappeared but is vital for
understanding the history of their cities.