Coimbra's Hill Top Monastery Stays as a Art Venue Despite Hotel's Pressure

A swift glance at what is coming

Foreigners who have grown fond of Coimbra’s contemporary-art biennial can breathe a measured sigh of relief. City leaders have confirmed that Anozero will once again occupy the monumental Mosteiro de Santa Clara-a-Nova in 2026, preserving, at least for one more edition, the dramatic setting that has helped propel the exhibition onto the European cultural map. Yet that comfort is accompanied by an undercurrent of uncertainty, because the 17th-century hill-top complex is still earmarked for conversion into a five-star hotel.

For many international residents, Anozero's Festival has served as a rare bridge between Portuguese heritage and global art currents. The event routinely organises bilingual tours and children’s workshops, and ticket prices have historically stayed below €10.

A monastery caught between art and hospitality

Perched above the Mondego River, the fortified convent where Queen Isabel of Aragon lies entombed has long been a magnet for photographers and history buffs. Since 2015 the building has also hosted Anozero, a festival conceived to explore how contemporary art can converse with the University of Coimbra’s UNESCO World-Heritage status. That conversation almost ended when Portugal’s Revive programme granted a 50-year concession to private group Soft Time, which plans to open an upscale hotel on site. Under the deal, work on guest rooms, spa facilities and conference areas should start in 2027, once the architectural project is finalised next year. Organisers negotiated a pause in construction so that the 2026 edition could go ahead, with roughly 600 square metres carved out for exhibition halls and access to the walled gardens remaining intact.

From City Hall, relief mixed with pragmatism

Mayor José Manuel Silva hailed the agreement as “a victory for culture”, stressing that Coimbra’s economy benefits whenever the biennial draws collectors, academics and tourists. Even so, officials privately acknowledge the solution is temporary. Carlos Antunes, director of the Círculo de Artes Plásticas de Coimbra and co-founder of Anozero, said the team is already scouting alternative venues, including the decommissioned paediatric hospital closer to the historic centre. Both City Hall and the University of Coimbra, which co-organise the show, have promised to present a long-term location plan before building works begin.

Curators and concept still under wraps

While dates are now fixed—late autumn 2026, mirroring past calendars—the names of the curators remain confidential. The organising committee has pledged to reveal the curatorial trio “within a week”, hinting only that they will bring “distinct geographies” and an “in-depth view of post-colonial Portugal”. The overarching concept is equally undisclosed. Observers recall that the 2024 edition, titled “The Ghost of Freedom”, filled the monastery’s nave with works by artists from Guinea-Bissau to Brazil, suggesting that socio-political reflection will again dominate.

Counting the euros

Finances are less solid. During the last city-council session, Socialist councillor Regina Bento warned of a “budgetary limbo”. No official figure has been approved; organisers merely point to the 2019 edition’s €550,000 cost as a benchmark. The municipality contributed €240,000 in 2024 and is expected to maintain that floor, while dossiers submitted to Lisbon confirm negotiations with the Ministry of Culture and the European Union’s Creative Europe fund. Private backers are also being courted, with Fundação Millennium bcp—sponsor of the previous edition—again on the shortlist. Rising insurance fees and the need to adapt heritage spaces to safety codes are likely to push the final bill higher.

Why expatriates should take note

If you recently relocated to Greater Porto or the Silver Coast, pencil in a weekend trip south: the monastery sits a 90-minute train ride from Campanhã station and is walking distance from Coimbra-B. More broadly, the festival’s uncertain tenancy illustrates how Portugal is juggling conservation, tourism and cultural production—an equation that shapes everything from Lisbon’s start-up hubs to the Azores’ eco-lodges. Keeping an eye on Anozero’s fate therefore offers a glimpse into where the country’s priorities, and opportunities, may lie next.