Going through the areas of Central Portugal classified by UNESCO, one crosses paths where dreams have taken root and produced work that transformed not only the national territory, but also had international influence.
Tourists crossing the paths between Alcobaça, Batalha and Tomar heading north towards Coimbra, the first capital of Portugal, will find a whole set of symbols and ideals where stories of kings and queens intersect, passions and hatreds, chimeras and delusions, beliefs, miracles, and legends, where even today the distant echoes of the Quest of the Holy Grail and the Treasury of the Templars are still heard.
Alcobaça and Tomar mark the moment of appropriation and defence of the national territory, by the Order of Christ and the Order of the Temple , respectively, Batalha marks the affirmation of a new dynasty, Avis, which confirmed not only the viability of the kingdom’s independence, but also its enlargement, through an expansionist and maritime discovery project that would start a whole new globalisation process.
Simultaneously, the University of Coimbra was founded in the 13th century and permanently established in Coimbra since 1537, trained specialists for the Kingdom and the Empire, being a great reference in promoting the culture and knowledge of Portugal.