National Monuments: Central Region to Invest €22M

13 November 2017

By 2020, 22 million euros will be invested in upgrading national monuments in Portugal’s central region, under the auspices of the Portugal 2020 program, the regional director of the Culture of the Center, Celeste Amaro revealed in Coimbra.

“The refurbishment of properties classified as national monuments will proceed so we can allow people to enjoy places have been forgotten,” Celeste Amaro stated in the University of Coimbra’s Great Hall [Sala dos Capelos], where a project which will aggregate sites in Coimbra, Batalha, Alcobaça and Tomar that are included in UNESCO’s World Heritage list of sites.

In total, more than 50 properties in the Central region will be classified as national monuments and will benefit from renovations. 85% of the costs will be covered by EU funds.

Coimbra, Batalha, Alcobaça and Tomar to be connected in larger network

The selection of the properties for reclassification resulted from geographical surveys that were conducted by technicians from the Regional Directorate of the Culture of the Center, in conjunction with the municipalities.

In the case of the sites of Coimbra, Batalha, Alcobaça and Tomar that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage list, an investment of more than 2.2 million euros will be made over the next two years.

The four sites will be grouped over the next two years through common elements such as cultural programming, education, community, commerce and communication, assuming, according to the Regional Tourism Center, “a role of tourism propagators in the region.”

The first objective of the project is to upgrade the tourist offer in these places, making potential visits by tourists even more attractive by offering educational and cultural programs.

“Tourism is a cultural act,” Pedro Machado, president of Turismo Centro, stated, adding that the project “goes far beyond its geographic dimension.”

Along the same lines, the mayor of Coimbra, Manuel Machado, said that UNESCO’s four heritage sites in the Center “include a spiritual dimension that reinforces their status as monuments.”

The University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia, the Monastery of Batalha, the Monastery of Alcobaça and the Convent of Christ in Tomar are included in the list of World Heritage Sites.

Original Story: Diário Imobiliário

Translation: Richard Turner