Guimarães

▪ Portugal

      city, northwestern Portugal. Guimarães lies at the foot of the Serra de Santa Catarina (2,018 feet [615 m]), northeast of the city of Porto. Founded in the 4th century, Guimarães in the 12th century became the first capital of Portugal. Its landmarks include the 10th-century castle (where Afonso I, Portugal's first king, was born) on a hill overlooking the town; the Romanesque church, Nossa Senhora da Oliveira (rebuilt 1387–1400); the 14th-century monastery and church of St. Francis; and a Dominican convent now housing a notable museum of antiquities. A former monastery, Santa Marinha da Costa, on a hill southeast of the city, has been transformed into a spectacular pousada (special tourist inn). North of the city is the Citânia de Briteiros, an Iron Age settlement and important archaeological site. An industrial centre, Guimarães produces woolen goods, linen, goldsmith's items, and cutlery. Pop. (2001) 69,712.

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