The UNESCO has recently released a list of World Heritage sites, and there is a new addition from Portugal. The historic center of Guimarães and the Couros area were already considered UNESCO World Heritage sites, but now the classification has expanded to include two monastic complexes and the industrial zone of Couros, which got its name from the ancient practice of working with leather.
Although the leather industry ceased to exist in the mid-20th century, there are still tangible traces of its presence, especially from the 19th and early 20th centuries, such as tanneries, workers’ houses, and urban spaces. The extension of the existing property complements its testimony to a thousand years of Portuguese urban, architectural, and social evolution, as stated in the description of this site on the UNESCO website.