Coimbra and academic life have always gone hand in hand. Now, that connection is taking on a new dimension in the heart of the city, with the arrival of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT) in downtown Coimbra.
At the start of the 2026/2027 academic year, all of the Institute’s courses begin holding classes at the new facilities on Rua Ferreira Borges, also accessible from Praça do Comércio, bringing hundreds of students, lecturers and staff every day to one of the city’s most historic and lively areas.
The history of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga began in Coimbra in 1937, with the creation of Escola Normal Social “A Saúde”, an initiative of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, with the support of Professor Bissaya Barreto. The school was founded to train professionals in the medical and social care field and, over the decades, continued to grow and broaden its educational activities.
In 1998, it adopted the name it still holds today, Instituto Superior Miguel Torga, taking the name of one of the great figures of Portuguese literature, with deep ties to Coimbra. Miguel Torga, the pen name of Adolfo Correia da Rocha, spent much of his life in the city, where he practised medicine and developed an important part of his literary work. Downtown Coimbra was also an important part of Miguel Torga’s daily life. For more than five decades, the writer and doctor had his medical practice in Largo da Portagem, in an area where he also frequented bookshops, printing houses and cafés. Decades later, the Institute that bears his name is now becoming part of this same historic and commercial heart of Coimbra. In 1989, he became the first recipient of the Camões Award, the most prestigious literary award in the Portuguese language. Today, he is the Institute’s patron, and the institution continues to promote initiatives dedicated to the study and appreciation of his legacy.
Today, the range of courses offered by the Institute extends far beyond the fields in which it first began, covering a range of disciplines, from the social sciences and humanities to communication, management and technology.
The move to downtown Coimbra marks a new chapter in the Institute’s history. Its new facilities occupy two municipal buildings on Rua Ferreira Borges, formerly used by the Bank Caixa Geral de Depósitos.
On weekdays, more than 800 people, including students, lecturers, researchers and staff, pass through the new facilities, with around 250 students attending classes at any given time. The move will take place progressively throughout 2026 and 2027, while some classes, laboratories, observatories and offices associated with projects and community services will remain in Celas.
The new location places students right in the heart of downtown Coimbra, just a few steps from Praça do Comércio, Igreja de São Tiago and Praça 8 de Maio. The daily presence of hundreds of students is also bringing a new dynamic to this part of the city, where cafés, restaurants, shops, heritage and academic life are becoming even more closely intertwined.
The Institute’s activity is not limited to class hours either. Colloquia, conferences, seminars and other initiatives are planned for evenings and weekends, extending ISMT’s presence in downtown Coimbra beyond teaching hours and bringing new opportunities for exchange and learning to the city centre.
Founded in Coimbra almost nine decades ago, Instituto Superior Miguel Torga is now beginning a new stage in its history, closer than ever to the historic centre. Rua Ferreira Borges, one of Coimbra’s main historic and commercial streets, is also becoming part of the daily life of hundreds of students.
In a city deeply shaped by knowledge and academic life, the arrival of Instituto Superior Miguel Torga in downtown Coimbra strengthens the connection between students and this historic part of the city, adding a new chapter to its history.
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