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Portugal UNESCO world heritage sites

Azores district [capital = Ponta Delgada] (Atlantic ocean)

Town of Angra do Heroismo see detail
Situated on the mid-Atlantic island of Terceira within the Portuguese Autonomous Region of the Azores, Angra do Heroísmo was an obligatory port of call for the fleets of equatorial Africa and of the East and West Indies routes during their voyages to and from Europe from the 15th century until the advent of steamships in the 19th century.

Landscape of Vineyard Culture from Baia do Gasparal to Madalena
The 987-ha site on the volcanic island of Pico, the second largest in the Azores archipelago, consists of a remarkable pattern of spaced-out, long linear walls running inland from, and parallel to, the rocky shore. The walls were built to protect the thousands of small, contiguous, rectangular plots (currais) from wind and seawater. Evidence of this viniculture, whose origins date back to the 15th century, is manifest in the extraordinary assembly of the fields, in houses and early 19th-century manor houses, in wine-cellars, churches and ports. The extraordinarily beautiful man-made landscape of the site is the best remaining area of a once much more widespread practice.

Braga district [capital = Braga]

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte in Tenoes on Estrada do Bom Jesus
The Bom Jesus ensemble is centred on a Via Crucis that leads up the western slope of the mount. It includes a series of chapels that house sculptures evoking the Passion of Christ, as well as fountains, allegorical sculptures and formal gardens. The Via Crucis culminates at the church, which was built between 1784 and 1811. The granite buildings have whitewashed plaster fassades, framed by exposed stonework. The celebrated Stairway of the Five Senses, with its walls, steps, fountains, statues and other ornamental elements, is the most emblematic Baroque work within the property.

Historic Centre of Guimaraes on Largo da Oliveira
The Historic Centre of Guimaraes is distinguished in particular for the integrity of its historically authentic building stock. Examples from the period from 950 to 1498 include the two anchors around which Guimaraes initially developed, the castle in the north and the monastic complex in the south. The period from 1498 to 1693 is characterized by noble houses and the development of civic facilities, city squares, etc.

Coimbra district [capital = Coimbra]

University in Coimbra on rua de Sao Joao
Key components of the university's pedagogical institutions are the 16th & 17th century buildings including the Royal Palace of Alcaçova, St Michael's Chapel, the Joanine Library, the Colleges of Jesus, Holy Trinity, St. Jerome, St. Benedict, St. Anthony of the Quarry and St. Rita; the colleges along Sofia Street including St Michael (Inquisition - old Royal College of the Arts), Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Carmel, Our Lady of Grace, St Peter of the Third Order, St. Thomas, New St Augustine, and St Bonaventure; the 18th century facilities in the Alta area including the Chemistry and other laboratories, Botanical Garden and the University Press, and the large 'University City' created during the 1940s.

Evora district [capital = Evora]

Historic Centre of Evora see detail
Its unique quality stems from the whitewashed houses decorated with azulejos and wrought-iron balconies dating from the 16th to the 18th century. Its monuments had a profound influence on Portuguese architecture in Brazil.

Guarda district [capital = Guarda]

Alto Douro Wine Region from Vale de Figueira over Mos to Vila Nova de Foz Coa
The cultural landscape of the Alto Douro is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time.

Prehistoric Rock Art Sites in Vila Nova Foz Coa at Parque Arqueologico do Vale do Coa, rua do Museu
Hundreds of panels with thousands of animal figures (5,000 in Foz Coa and around 440 in Siega Verde) were carved over several millennia, representing the most remarkable open-air ensemble of Paleolithic art on the Iberian Peninsula.

Leiria district [capital = Leiria]

Monastery in Batalha on Largo Infante Dom Henrique
Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.

Monastery in Alcobaca on Praca de 25 de Abril
Its size, the purity of its architectural style, the beauty of the materials and the care with which it was built make this a masterpiece of Cistercian Gothic art.

Lisbon district [capital = Lisbon]

Jeronimos Monastery in Lisboa on Praca do Imperio
Being symbolically linked to the Age of Discoveries, the monastery still preserves most of its magnificent structures, including its 16th-century Cloister, the friars' former Refectory, and the Library.

Belem Tower in Lisboa on Av. Brasilia
On the banks of the Tagus River, Francisco de Arruda constructed the famous Tower of Belem around 1514, also known as the Tower of St Vincent, patron of the city of Lisbon, which commemorated the expedition of Vasco da Gama and also served to defend the port of Lisbon. The cross of the Knights of Christ is repeated indefinitely on the parapets of this fortress, while the watch towers that flank it are capped with ribbed cupolas inspired by Islamic architecture.

Cultural Landscape in Sintra on Estrada da Pena
Around 1840, Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle in which Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements were displayed. He surrounded the palace with a vast Romantic park, unparalleled elsewhere planted with rare and exotic trees, decorated with fountains, watercourses and series of ponds, cottages, chapels and mock ruins, and traversed by magical paths. He also restored the forests of the Serra, where thousands of trees were planted to supplement the oaks and umbrella pines which made a perfect contribution to the romantic character of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.

National Palace in Mafra on Terreiro D. Joao V
This imposing quadrangular building houses the king's and queen's palaces, the royal chapel, shaped like a Roman baroque basilica, a Franciscan monastery and a library containing 36,000 volumes. The complex is completed by the Cerco garden, with its geometric layout, and the royal hunting park (Tapada).

Madeira district [capital = Funchal] (Atlantic Ocean)

Laurel forest in Encumeada Pass at Madeira Natural Park
The Laurisilva of Madeira is an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type, which covered much of Southern Europe 15-40 million years ago. The forest of the property completely covers a series of very steep, V-shaped valleys leading from the plateau and east-west ridge in the centre of the island to the north coast.

Portalegre district [capital = Portalegre]

Garrison Border Town of Elvas see detail
The town was supplied with water by the 7km-long Amoreira Aqueduct, built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and a key feature enabling the stronghold to withstand a lengthy siege. Within the walls, the town contains extensive barracks and other military buildings, as well as churches and monasteries, some adapted to military functions.

Porto district [capital = Porto]

Historic Centre of Oporto see detail
Its continuous growth, linked to the sea (the Romans gave it the name Portus, or port), can be seen in the many and varied monuments, from the cathedral with its Romanesque choir, to the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the typically Portuguese Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara.

Santarem district [capital = Santarem]

Convent of Christ in Tomar at Igreja do Castelo Templario
The Convent is surrounded by the walls of the Castle of Tomar. It belonged to the Order of the Templars and was founded in 1160 by Gualdim Pais, grand master of the Knights Templar.

Vila Real district [capital Vila Real]

Alto Douro Wine Region from Mesao Frio to Fontelo
The Alto Douro Region has been producing wine for nearly two thousand years and its landscape has been moulded by human activities.

Viseu district [capital = Viseu]

Alto Douro Wine Region from Fontelo to Vale de Figueira
The components of the Alto Douro landscape are representative of the full range of activities association with winemaking: terraces, quintas (wine-producing farm complexes), villages, chapels, and roads.