The Comur shop in Coimbra that sells canned fish.

The Comur shop in Coimbra that sells canned fish.

The Portuguese company Comur has opened up some very colourful and creative looking shops around Portugal. They sell the canned fish that Comur produces. But they do not look anything like a store that sells canned fish.

Comur sells canned fish. They have been doing that since 1942. They have their fish factory in the small town of Murtosa, near Aveiro, on the Portuguese west coast.

This year they have decided to sell their fish in a very different way. It has become a major tourist attraction in Portugal.

Canned fish on display at the Comur shop.

Canned fish on display at the Comur shop.

Comur have opened up some very colourful theme shops around Portugal. I have so far come across their new shops in Lisbon, Evora and Coimbra. The Coimbra shop is my favourite.

The Comur shop in Coimbra is inspired by the famous library at the Coimbra university. The library is called Biblioteca Joanina. It’s an old baroque style library that served as inspiration for the Harry Potter stories among many things. The library is very worth visiting. But beware that a visit must be booked in advance, as it’s limited how many people are allowed to visit the library. This is in order to protect the old books.

They have some colourful sardine cans at the shop.

They have some colourful sardine cans at the shop.

If you can not visit the library, then go to the fish store instead. It’s decorated in the same style and it’s really fun to walk around there and see how it’s possible to exhibit something as ordinary as canned fish in a way, where you think you are at an art exhibition.

When a Harry Potter library tries to sell fish.

When a Harry Potter library tries to sell fish.

Who is the statue next to the canned fish shop in Coimbra?

The statue of Joaquim Antonia de Aguiar.

The statue of Joaquim Antonia de Aguiar.

Right next to the shop there is a statue. It’s a statue of a guy holding a paper and pen. This is Joaquim Antonia de Aguiar. He was a politician in the 19th century. and the person who signed the law that closed down all religious orders and forced nuns and munks to leave their monasteries and get a civil job. Being a non believer, I can only say that I find the guy rather sympathetic :-). Some people might think different of Joaquim Antonio de Aguiar. University students in Coimbra have also joked with me that he is writing down the names of all the female students who have left the university as virgins, since he ruled in the 1830’s. And his paper still has no names on it 🙂

The bottomline for me is that if you happen to come by Coimbra in the near future, then pop by this fascinating canned fish store in central Coimbra. It’s located right by the end of the pedestrian street.

If you want to read some more articles about weird things I have come across on my travels, then you can see some more stories o this link

Eat fish and explore the world.

Eat fish and explore the world.

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