Laurisilva of Madeira

The Laurisilva of Madeira is an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type. It is the largest surviving area of laurel forest and is believed to be 90% primary forest. It contains a unique suite of plants and animals, including many endemic species such as the Madeiran long-toed pigeon.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/934

The Laurisilva on the Portuguese island of Madeira (off the African coast) has been placed on the list mainly because of its biological diversity. Also it is considered an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type.

The forest lies between 300 and 1300 m. altitude, and extends across 22.100 hectares of land. Remarkable are its high quality hard wood trees. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/site.php?id=934

Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon

Standing at the entrance to Lisbon harbour, the Monastery of the Hieronymites – construction of which began in 1502 – exemplifies Portuguese art at its best. The nearby Tower of Belém, built to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition, is a reminder of the great maritime discoveries that laid the foundations of the modern world.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/263

The Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belem are two early 16th century historical buildings in the port of Lisbon. They symbolise the Portuguese Age of Discovery. They were built in the Portuguese Manueline style.

The Monastery and adjacent church date from 1501, and were built on orders of King Manuel I. Its church became a house of prayer for seamen leaving or entering port. It later was turned into the burial place for Portuguese royalty. The tombs of the explorers Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões are also here.

The nearby Tower of Belem was built as part of the defense system of Lisbon and ceremonial gateway into its harbour. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/belem.html

Historic Centre of Guimarães

The historic town of Guimarães is associated with the emergence of the Portuguese national identity in the 12th century. An exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town, its rich building typology exemplifies the specific development of Portuguese architecture from the 15th to 19th century through the consistent use of traditional building materials and techniques.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1031

The historic centre of Guimarães is known for its medieval building techniques, that have been transmitted to the Portuguese colonies. This well-preserved town shows the evolution of this techniques from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

Notable constructions include:

- The half-timbered houses

- Castle

- Church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira

- Palace of the Dukes of Bragança

- Town Hall

Guimaraes played an important role in the formation of Portugal in the 12th century. The region was given as a feudal property to the family that created the country in the 12th century. In 1139 Count Dom Afonso Henriques declared the independence of Portugal from León and took the name of Afonso I as the first king of the new kingdom. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/guimaraes.html

Monastery of Alcobaça

The Monastery of Santa Maria d'Alcobaça, north of Lisbon, was founded in the 12th century by King Alfonso I. 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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/505

The Monastery of Alcobaça is a unique monastic establishment and a masterpiece of Gothic Cistercian art. It was founded by the first Portuguese King, Afonso Henriques, in 1153, and maintained a close association with the Kings of Portugal throughout its history.

The building of the monastery began in 1178, some 25 years after the arrival of the Cistercian monks in the Alcobaça region. Initially, the monks lived in wooden houses, and only moved to the new stone monastery buildings in 1223. The church was completed in 1252. The finished church and monastery were the first truly Gothic buildings in Portugal, and the church was the largest in Portugal. 

The church includes Royal Tombs and the Royal Pantheon. The kitchen of the monastery was built and covered with tiles in the mid-18th century. The central chimney is enormous, supported by eight iron columns. Water and fresh fish were diverted from the river Alcoa to the kitchen basin through a specially-built canal.

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/alcobaca.html

University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia

Situated on a hill overlooking the city, the University of Coimbra with its colleges grew and evolved over more than seven centuries within the old town. Notable university buildings include the 12th century Cathedral of Santa Cruz and a number of 16th century colleges, the Royal Palace of Alcáçova, which has housed the University since 1537, the Joanine Library with its rich baroque decor, the 18th century Botanical Garden and University Press, as well as the large “University City” created during the 1940s. The University’s edifices became a reference in the development of other institutions of higher education in the Portuguese-speaking world where it also exerted a major influence on learning and literature. Coimbra offers an outstanding example of an integrated university city with a specific urban typology as well as its own ceremonial and cultural traditions that have been kept alive through the ages.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1387

The University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia has been an influential university from the medieval period til the modern times in the Portuguese world. The University was moved from Lisbon to Coimbra in 1308.

The site comprises two groups of buildings: one around Sofia Street in the lower part of the city, and one in the upper (Alta) part. Both hold a number of colleges, though the main University buildings are in Alta.

Notable buildings include:

- Royal Palace of Alcáçova (main University building)

- St Michael’s Chapel

- Joanine Library 

- Botanical Garden

- University Press

- ‘University City’created during the 1940s.

- 12th century Cathedral of Santa Maria 

- 12th century Monastery of Santa Cruz (on the postcard)

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/coimbra.html

Monastery of Batalha

The Monastery of the Dominicans of Batalha was built to commemorate the victory of the Portuguese over the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It was to be the Portuguese monarchy's main building project for the next two centuries. Here a highly original, national Gothic style evolved, profoundly influenced by Manueline art, as demonstrated by its masterpiece, the Royal Cloister.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/264

The Monastery of Batalha is a Dominican convent and a masterpiece of Gothic art. Its late Gothic architecture is intermingled with the Manueline style. The ornate convent has been put up in limestone. It amazes the onlooker with its profusion of gables, spires, pinnacles and buttresses. 

The convent was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. It took over a century to build, starting in 1386 and ending circa 1517, spanning the reign of seven kings. It took the efforts of fifteen architects. 

The Monastery's Founder's Chapel (Capela do Fundador) became the first royal pantheon in Portugal. It holds the tombs of king João I and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, and their sons prince Dom Pedro, Henry the Navigator, Dom João and Dom Fernando. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/batalha.html

Historic Centre of Oporto

The city of Oporto, built along the hillsides overlooking the mouth of the Douro river, is an outstanding urban landscape with a 2,000-year history. 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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/755

The Historic Centre of Oporto is a commercial port that has been looking to the west for its trade for over 1000 years. The nominated area is enclosed within the 14th century city walls.

The city is situated along the river Douro, which has three impressive bridges (one of these, the Ponte de Doña Maria Pia, was built in 1877 by Gerard Eiffel). The old city centre lies on a steep hill. It is full of cathedrals, churches, monasteries and a bishops palace. All buildings were erected between the 13th and 19th century, without any plan and using totally different building styles. 

One of the most impressive buildings is the Torre dos Clerigos, the highest tower in Portugal measuring 76 meters. It was built between 1754 and 1763, under supervision of the architect Nicolau Nazoni. You can climb the granite tower via 200 steps. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/oporto.html

Historic Centre of Évora

This museum-city, whose roots go back to Roman times, reached its golden age in the 15th century, when it became the residence of the Portuguese kings. 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.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/361

The Historic Centre of Evora is exemplary for the Golden Age of Portugal, and strongly influenced Portuguese architecture in Brazil. Although some buildings of the medieval period - such as the Cathedral - remain, the historic town evolved from the 15th century.

Evora became the seat of the Portuguese royals, an archbishopry and a university town. Many new churches, convents and palaces were built. 

Its cityscape is dominated by the many low whitewashed houses and narrow streets. The town also holds a Roman Temple, believed to have been constructed around the first century A.D. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/evora.html

Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry-ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century ad, its fortification began when Portugal regained independence in 1640. The fortifications designed by Dutch Jesuit padre Cosmander represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site also contains the Amoreira aqueduct, built to enable the stronghold to withstand lengthy sieges.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1367

The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications comprise a frontier town that was strongly fortified from the 17th to 19th century. It guards a key border crossing between Lisbon and Madrid.

The fortifications are of the bulwarked dry-ditched type (“Dutch school of fortification”): as such it is the largest surviving example in the world.

The site consists of 7 parts:

• Historic centre

• Amoreira Aqueduct

• Fort of Santa Luzia and the covered way linking it to the Historic Centre 

• Fort of Graça 

• Fortlets of São Mamede 

• Fortlet of São Pedro 

• Fortlet of São Domingos 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/elvas.html

Cultural Landscape of Sintra

In the 19th century Sintra became the first centre of European Romantic architecture. Ferdinand II turned a ruined monastery into a castle where this new sensitivity was displayed in the use of Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements and in the creation of a park blending local and exotic species of trees. Other fine dwellings, built along the same lines in the surrounding serra , created a unique combination of parks and gardens which influenced the development of landscape architecture throughout Europe.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/723

The Cultural landscape of Sintra encompasses a narrow mountainous strip with an ensemble of gardens, parks, and monuments. The Royal Court established itself here because of its cool temperatures. Villa’s and gardens were designed, reaching its height in the 19th century.

Most notable among the constructions is the Pena Palace, the prototype of European Romanticism. Others include: 

• Quinta da Regaleira 

• Sintra National Palace

• Monserrate Palace

• Seteais Palace

• Castle of the Moors 

• Ramalhão Palace 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/sintra.html

Alto Douro Wine Region

Wine has been produced by traditional landholders in the Alto Douro region for some 2,000 years. Since the 18th century, its main product, port wine, has been world famous for its quality. This long tradition of viticulture has produced a cultural landscape of outstanding beauty that reflects its technological, social and economic evolution.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1046

The Alto Douro Wine Region is a cultural landscape shaped by winemaking. The region has a hot dry micro climate and rocky soil. This results in ideal growing conditions for grapes. There is archaeological evidence for winemaking in the region dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.

The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). While the region is associated primarily with Port wine production, the Douro produces just as much table wine (non-fortified wines) as it does fortified wine.

The landscape consists of terraced vineyards on large and small estates, white-walled villages, olive and almond crops, the river Douro. 

http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/altodouro.html