Évora, PT

ÉVORA, a medium-sized historic city in the heart of Alentejo, is heir to a rich and varied cultural heritage, built and preserved over time. Founded (or refounded) by the Roman people and called by them Ebora Liberalitas Iulia, the city was the stronghold that underpinned, in the Além-Tejo, the formation of the new kingdom of Portugal during the peninsular Christian Reconquest of the 19th century. XII. After the consolidation of the borders with Castile, several kings established their court here, particularly in the period of maritime discoveries. The historical and artistic heritage that is preserved in the city today resulted in large part from this long stay of the court. The monumental ensemble that those heydays bequeathed to the city, in harmony with the urban fabric of a popular nature, have been the basis for the classification of Évora as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity, since 1986. In addition to this unique heritage in the country, the region around Évora has much more to offer the visitor. This is the case of the unique megalithic archaeological landscape, one of the oldest and most monumental in Europe, perfectly integrated into the surrounding rural landscape, of which the megalithic enclosure of Almendres is the maximum exponent. Whether in the fabric of the medieval streets, in the exuberance of palaces, monasteries and churches, in the spaces for socializing and tasting the exquisite flavors of traditional cuisine, Évora hides the charm of ancient cities. But based on this historical matrix, it reassumes itself, once again, as a pole of regional development in the face of the great challenges of the future through the creation of great facilities, the commitment to the qualification of products and services of excellence in the area of Tourism, the intense cultural offer, alongside the creation of urban infrastructures that give priority to the well-being of its inhabitants.