Coimbra Municipal Museum presents April program with proposals for all ages

The Coimbra Municipal Museum (MMC) has prepared, for the month of April, a diverse programme that brings together educational activities for school audiences with visits, workshops, and cultural initiatives aimed at the general public, marking relevant dates with a special focus on the International Day for Monuments and Sites. In April, the Chiado Building and the Sala da Cidade will also be integrated spaces of Anozero — Coimbra Biennial.

Programme for school audiences

Between 2 and 23 April, and within the celebrations of the book, the MMC will promote reading sessions of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales at the Chiado Building, aimed at preschool children, primary school pupils, and after‑school groups. The stories The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor’s New Clothes establish a dialogue with the Museum’s collections, offering moments of discovery and imagination. Also for school audiences, the Inquisition Building will host the workshop The Guardians of Memory!, centred on the history of the Jewish community in Coimbra and integrated into the Interreg Jewels Tour project.

On 8 April, at 10:30 a.m., the usual staged visit D. Sesnando, the Alvazil of Coimbra will take place at the Almedina Tower – Walled City Nucleus, inviting younger visitors to explore the medieval city through an immersive experience.

Participation in school activities is free of charge but requires prior registration via telephone (+351 239 840 754) or email ([email protected]). The MMC does not accept individual registrations; groups must consist of at least five participants.

Activities for the general public

The programme for the general public begins on 2 April at 10:30 a.m. with a walking tour along the remains of Coimbra’s vanished city wall, starting at the Almedina Tower, inviting participants to rediscover the city’s medieval defensive structure. This activity is free but requires registration through the same contacts.

One of the month’s highlights is the opening, on 11 April, of the exhibition Holding, Giving and Receiving, part of Anozero – Coimbra Biennial, curated by Hans Ibelings and John Zeppetelli. On display until 5 July, the exhibition takes place at the Sala da Cidade and the Chiado Building and proposes a reflection on the concepts of sharing, reciprocity, and the collective construction of a symbolic “habitat”. In the same context, the Sala da Cidade will also present Stendhal Syndrome, by artist Nan Goldin, a moving‑image work exploring the emotional relationship with art and beauty.

Also on 11 April, the Chiado Building will host a drawing session led by Atelier Gabriela Torres. The session costs €7 and requires prior registration via email ([email protected]) or through the website atelieraeminium.pt. Each session requires a minimum of four and a maximum of ten participants.

International Day for Monuments and Sites

On 17 and 18 April, the MMC will mark the International Day for Monuments and Sites with a set of initiatives under the theme Living Heritage: Emergency Response in Contexts of Conflict and Disaster. The programme for 17 April includes a visit to the Anto Tower and the Coimbra Guitar and Fado Nucleus at 5:00 p.m., followed by a musical performance by the group Fado D’Anto at 6:00 p.m. On 18 April, an urban tour through Coimbra’s former Jewish quarters will take place at 10:30 a.m., and at 4:00 p.m. a historical gastronomy workshop dedicated to the ritual of chocolate in the 18th century will be held, in partnership with the Coimbra School of Hospitality and Tourism and Chocolataria Equador.

Talks and other initiatives

On 24 April, at 6:00 p.m., the Inquisition Building will host another session of the talk series Interlacing History and Fiction, featuring the presentation of O Judeu de Santa Engrácia by Tiago Salazar, offering a reflection that intertwines literature and historical episodes related to the Inquisition, also linked to the Interreg Jewels Tour project.

In April, the usual free‑entry scheme on the fourth Saturday of the month will not take place, as it coincides with the 25 April public holiday.