The Vila Flor Palace was built in the 19th century, on the initiative of the Guimarães nobleman Tadeu Luís António Lopes de Carvalho de Fonseca e Camões and it was here that the festivities took place in commemoration of the acclamation of King D. José I, in 1750.

In 1976, the Palace was acquired by the Guimarães City Council, to house the first Guimarães Center of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Minho. In the meantime, the University of Minho inaugurated the new building of the Guimarães University Center on the Azurém Campus and the Palace was temporarily closed.

In the first decade of the 2000s, the Guimarães City Council decided to completely restore the Vila Flor Palace and the gardens and to include in the new project a Cultural Centre of the same name, built from scratch to host shows and concerts, and which coexists with the 19th century Baroque style Palace.

The Cultural Centre is equipped with two auditoriums, with a capacity of around 800 seats and 200 seats and has a regular annual programme. The Palace also has an exhibition area of ​​1,000 m2, which periodically hosts exhibitions by contemporary artists, as well as several meeting rooms.

Its beautiful gardens facing the city, built on terraces, were restored, keeping intact the boxwoods, tree species, especially camellias, fountains and sculptures, and the green area was added, an area that hosts outdoor events and which received, in 2006, an Honourable Mention of the National Landscape Architecture Award in the category of Outdoor Spaces for Public Use.

The space also houses a restaurant and a café-concert hall.