In the city of Guimarães, a municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga

 “If there is one portion of Europe which was made by the sea more than another, Portugal is that slice, that portion, that belt. Portugal was made by the Atlantic.” – Hilaire Belloc

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(in the birthplace of Portugal) Guimarães is a city and municipality located in northern Portugal, in the district of Braga. Its historic town center has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001, in recognition for being an "exceptionally well-preserved and authentic example of the evolution of a medieval settlement into a modern town" in Europe. The Nicolinas (Portuguese: Festas Nicolinas) are a series of festivities to honor Saint Nicholas that occur in the city. Held between November 29th and December 7th, they celebrate the old traditions and camaraderie of the inhabitants of es is also referred to as the capital of the Ave Subregion (one of the most industrialized subregions in the country), which is located in the historical Minho Province. Guimarães, along with Maribor, Slovenia, was the European Capital of Culture in 2012.

+ Guimarães has a significant historical importance due to the role it played in the foundation of Portugal. The city is commonly referred to as the "birthplace of Portugal" or "the cradle city," because it was in Guimarães that Portugal's first King, Afonso Henriques was born, and also due to the fact that the Battle of São Mamede -- which is considered the seminal event for the foundation of the Kingdom of Portugal – was fought in the vicinity of the city.

+ The History of Guimarães is associated with the foundation and identity of the Portuguese nationality. Guimarães, as well as other settlements, precedes the foundation of Portugal and because of its role in the foundation of the country it is known as the "cradle of the Portuguese nationality." In 1128, major political and military events that would lead to the independence and the birth of a new nation took place in Guimarães. For this reason, in one of the old towers of the city's old wall it is written "Aqui nasceu Portugal" (Portugal was born here).

+ According to archeological findings in Citânia (Castro) of Briteiros and Sabroso and Penha's archeologic site, the area in which Guimarães is located has had permanent settlements since the late Chalcolithic period. There is also evidence of Roman occupation, and a stone dedicated to the Roman emperor Trajan found in Caldas das Taipas suggests that this was already a spa town in Roman times.

+ Until the 19th century the structure of the city did not suffer many transformations besides the construction of a few more churches, convents, and palaces. It was by the ending of the 19th century that new urbanistic ideas of hygiene and symmetry that the village, which was promoted to a city by Queen Maria II on 23 June 1853, had its greatest changes.

+ The promenade is adorned with romantic French-style gardens, and in the background of the image, another of the emblematic images of the city, the Igreja de São Gualter