Amsterdam bans creation of new hotels
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
In a city with strong academic traditions, student republics have existed for 7 centuries
Is student life just a few years of cramming for exams and partying hard before the reality of adulthood hits? In the modern imaginary, it is often perceived that way, yet news from Coimbra remind us that academic life has often played an important part in history and that should not be forgotten.
That is why, the local City Council approved at a meeting held yesterday, 9 November, a proposal for the eventual recognition of the República dos Galifões Association as an entity of historical and cultural interest to the public. The formal recognition can be finalized after 3 weeks of consultations.
The República dos Galifões is not the first student body to be granted heritage protection by the authorities. In fact, there are already 15 other such ‘republics’ that have received that status in the city with ancient academic traditions.
The so-called student republics have their origins in the 14th century during the reign of King Dinis, and they are almost as old as the University of Coimbra (the oldest in Portugal and one of the oldest in the world) and an indelible part of its legacy.
Initially they existed as part of the communal housing being provided to students for rent. With time they started acquiring their own autonomy and having their own internal rules, something like the collegiate system in some British and American universities.
The republic really came into historical prominence, however, during the 1960s and 1970s when Portugal was ruled by the authoritarian Salazar regime. They served as political incubators of resistance and were central to the Carnation Revolution in 1974, which saw the overthrow of the regime.
The Republic of Galifões, much like its brethren student collectives, is considered to be “a stronghold for the preservation of the memory of academic experience in the years of intense political contention, the result of strong coexistence and solidarity within the academic community”, as reported by the municipal announcement.
That Republic, founded in 1947, also counts with its own flag, anthem and logo and is also valued as a living museum for these important decades, given that it contains letters, testimonies and a mural from the 1960s.
The republics can be thought of as Portugal’s oldest forms of local participatory democracy and are ideal examples of solidarity and political contention.
Legislators and magnates have to await a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice
The building will then serve as the site for a new museum dedicated to Finnish-Russian relations
Another piece in the overall strategy to reduce tourist flows to the city
It will serve as a virtual companion to the municipal network of libraries in the country
In addition, the federal government has launched the National Week of Action against Bicycle Theft to raise awareness of the issue and the new solution
The facility will replace the need to have water supplied by tankers from Valencia
The city thinks that it’s time to update pet-related street cleanliness rules for the 21st century
Experimenting with public transport provision in Germany is clearly in a state of creative fervour
Legislators and magnates have to await a preliminary ruling from the European Court of Justice
The benefit will last until the Dutch parliament adopts the transgender law
Experimenting with public transport provision in Germany is clearly in a state of creative fervour
It also set the standards for a better European parking card for people with disabilities
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team