Evora, Portugal

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cork) and has its own important electrical goods industry.

In 1986 UNESCO declared Évora a world cultural inheritance site there is no question that the chief town of the Alentejo, with its many important buildings in the old town center, is well worth a visit. To see it properly will take at least two days or more to include the places of interest in the countryside around. In the last few years some sizable modern hotels have sprung up around the old town; the pousada in the town center is particularly stylish.

History

Évora is one of the oldest trading posts on the Iberian peninsula. In Roman times it was a very important town, first called Ebora, under the praetorship of Sertorius, then renamed Liberalitas Iulia under Julius Caesar.

In 715 the town fell into the hands of the Moors and became known as Yebora. It was reconquered by Giraldo Sempavor (Gerald the Fearless) in 1165 and reunited with the kingdom of Afonso Henriques. From the 14th to the 16th C. it was intermittently the residence of the Portuguese kings and hence the focus of political and cultural life; however, with the permanent transfer of the seat of government to Lisbon and the eventual closing of its university, Évora's splendor and influence declined. and it is only in recent decades that this has partially been recovered, owing to some extent to its importance as a tourist center.

Townscape

With its walls of the Roman, Moorish and later periods, still largely preserved, and its narrow lanes, sometimes lined with arcades, Évora's townscape still has a Moorish and medieval appearance, hence its entitlement to the term "cidade museu" museum city.

A good starting point for a tour of the town is the square by the cathedral. In the central area of the town there is only short term parking available for non residents. The best thing is to leave the car on one of the large parking lots on the ring road which runs along the town wall. From there it is only a few minutes' walk to the center.