Historic District of Old Québec Tourist Guide 🇨🇦 Canada

In 1985, UNESCO included Quebec City's historic Old Town on the list of World Heritage Sites, places which are of an estimable value to humanity. Quebec City is the only city in North America to have retained its colonial ramparts, bastions, gates, and defense works. The urban combination formed by the Hauteville, located at the summit of a cape, with its churches, convents, the Citadel, and the famous Château Fontenac, and the Basseville, with its Place Royale, and centuries-old homes, is a splendid example of a fortified colonial town. When Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec, the capital of New France, in 1608, he chose the natural site of a steep plateau overlooking the St. Lawrence River. The old heart of the city took root on this promontory, Cap-au-Diamant, which is protected by Font-Saint-Louis. Château Fontenac is one of the most prestigious hotels on the continent, the most photographed in the world, and undeniably the most famous image of Quebec. Owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was designed by the architect Bruce Price, and opened its doors in 1893. The central tower, raised in 1924, is one of the later additions. Its high copper roofs and countless dormer windows and turrets were inspired by the Château de Loire Valley in France. The château takes its name from Louis de Boade, Count of Fontenac and governor of New France. Drawing on the architectural styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the architect Price immortalized the history of the two great powers that once occupied Quebec City's highest promontory. A stroll through Quebec City is like turning the pages of a book filled with pictures from the past, and where the view changes on every street corner. Shown here, Saint-Geneviève Avenue, in the vicinity of the Jardin du Gouverneur, the governor's gardens. Running along the edge of the cliff, the ramparts were lowered about three meters in 1878 to form a long belvedere with an exceptional view of the lower town and surrounding area. Having one's residence on the street near the ramparts was a sign of prestige for merchants in the 19th century. Ramparts Street follows the fortified walls. It is named after this defensive wall completed in 1811. Built under the French and English regimes to protect the city, the imposing walls exemplify the development of the defensive systems in use from the 17th to the 19th centuries. The ramparts run for almost six kilometers, encircling the old city of Quebec. After 1711, cannons were mounted on the Great Wall. Built atop Cap Diamant, the citadel is the largest fortress built by the British in North America. From its unique location, it is an active military garrison, some of whose walls enclose 300 years of military history in Quebec City, spanning the French, British, and Canadian periods. Constructed between 1820 and 1850, based on the defense system designed by a French engineer named Vaubin, the Citadel of Quebec was built under the direction of Walker Durnford, a British army officer. It is shaped like a polygon with four angles representing a star and covers 2.3 square kilometers. The citadel is an active military garrison. First occupied by British troops and Canadian artillery, since 1920 it has been the official residence of the Royal 22nd Regiment, the only francophone infantry regiment in the Canadian regular force. In summer, the changing of the guard is held in the morning in front of visitors, to the sound of the regimental band. The retreat pays tribute to the flag at the end of the day. Over the years, numerous battles between the French and English took place in Quebec City, reflecting the political situation in Europe. Following the conquest of 1759, the Americans tried on several occasions to seize control of the British-held colony. Several defensive constructions reflecting Quebec City's military history are still intact. Redoubts, battlements, fortifications, towers, and the citadel stand like centuries over the city, ever watchful. The St. Lawrence River is one of the most important rivers in North America. It takes its source in the Great Lakes, leading to a vast estuary in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to finally empty itself into the Atlantic. It is approximately 1,000 kilometers long and serves as a boundary dividing Canada from the United States. One of the best ways to learn about Quebec and its ties to the St. Lawrence River is to take a guided cruise aboard the A Boulevard Champlain, several styles from different periods influenced the architecture of houses and official buildings in Quebec City, many of which have stood the test of time and graced the streets to this day. No fewer than 11 architectural styles from the end of the 18th century to modern times have been identified in Quebec City. Iron cannons were used by the French Navy in the 18th century. From Champlain's time, the French mounted their cannons on a rocky point jutting out over the river. In 1691, on the same point, Governor Fontenac built the Royal Battery to protect Quebec, threatened by the English invasion. In the colony's early years, there was little to distinguish between rural and urban houses. Over time, different factors gradually influenced the construction of dwellings, including a better understanding of the area and the harsh winter weather, increased landowner wealth, and new building regulations. Nearly 180 houses were destroyed or seriously damaged during the bombardments of 1759. Located in Quebec City's lower town along the St. Lawrence River is the Place Royale, one of the oldest marketplaces in North America. Construction on the Notre-Dame des Victoires Church began in 1687 on the site of Champlain's original settlement. The church is named in memory of two victories against the English army, which failed in its attempt to take Quebec. Near the Place Royale is a mural of the Quebecois. It was painted in 1999 on the side of a house on Notre-Dame Street at the bottom of Côte de la Montagne. The huge trompe-l'oeil pays tribute to the great figures in Quebec's history and its citizens. The mural also depicts the various architectural styles that define the city. From the Côte de la Montagne, visitors can access Champlain Street and the imposing post office at the top of the hill. Du Petit Champlain Street, still very narrow, was already crowded with sailors, dock workers, and vendors by 1650. Today, it is a pedestrian street lined with shops run by artists and craftspeople. The mural illustrates the origins of the Cap Blanc neighborhood, the bombardments of 1759, fires, landslides, and other disasters that befell the Quartier Petit Champlain over the years, as well as the strength and courage of those who built, lived, developed, and breathed new life into this part of Quebec City. The little park on Du Champlain Street is named in honor of Félix Leclerc, a great toubador and rider. Suspended from the cliff, Le Souffle de l'île is a sculpture by Alain Rochette. Old Quebec sitting high on the bluff above the Saint Lawrence River and Quartier Petit Champlain in the lower town at the water's edge have roots that date back to the beginning of the 17th century, due in part to their visual and architectural heritage. Both areas possess a character and allure unique among North American cities. During the summertime, the many flower boxes and troupes of musicians add to the neighborhood's considerable charm. Since 1879, a funicular has carried passengers from the ground floor of the Louis-Joliet House up to the Dufresne Terrace. The Rue de Bois leads to the Basilica of Our Lady. After France took possession of the colony under English rule, Champlain had a votive church dedicated to the Virgin built there. The present-day Roman Catholic Basilica is the product of a series of reconstructions and transformations of the church erected on the site of Champlain's original church. Inside, the choir was reconstructed at the end of the 18th century with a décor designed by François Bélargé. This majestic baldacchino overhanging the high altar was inspired by the one adorning the Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome. The Basilica Cathedral of Notre Dame is a world-renowned pilgrimage site. This place is both a site of worship for believers and a large art gallery for amateur artists and art lovers. It houses canopies, stained-glass windows and paintings, as well as sanctuary lamps. Laid out around 1630, St. Louis Street was named in honor of Louis XIII, King of France. This very busy street extends from the Saint-Louis Gate to the Place des Armes. Since the 19th century, horse carriage rides have offered visitors a romantic way to discover Old Quebec. Old Quebec is characterized by its steeply sloping streets and often sharply angled intersections. The shapes of the houses have been adapted to follow the twists and turns of the streets. The first Saint-Louis Gate was built in 1694. The current gate, the work of architect William Lyon, is one of the main access routes to Old Quebec. Quebec is the only remaining fortified city in North America. This feature has contributed to Quebec being named as a World Heritage City by The fortifications of the Quebec National Historic Site tell the tale of over three centuries of the city's military past. The marvelous walk along the ramparts above the Esplanade is enhanced by panoramic views of the cityscape and its natural setting. A coherent urban ensemble, Quebec's historical district, including the Citadel, the upper city defended by walls with bastions, provides us with an eminent example of a fortified colonial town. Which is by far the most complete in North America. The present-day Kent Gate was built between 1878 and 1881. At the end of the 19th century, the narrow original gates in the wall were replaced because the citizenry demanded easier movement between the old and new towns. The intervention of Lord Dufresne, Governor-General of Canada from 1872 to 1878, caused the demolition of the defensive works, which had now fallen into disuse, to be halted. According to Dufresne's plans, the construction of new gates would permit the building of a pedestrian walkway all the way around Old Quebec. The new gates would therefore provide passage over roads and become decorative elements in Dufresne's beautification project for the city. The architecture of the St. John Gate, built in 1939, is well integrated into the wall formed by the ramparts. The Parliament building can be seen from the St. John Gate. It was erected between 1877 and 1886, following Eugène Etienne Taché's design. In a square situated in front of the Parliament building stands a recently installed 19th-century fountain. The historical fountain was one of only three cast by artist Maitre Mouon, and was originally installed in Bordeaux, France, in 1857. Constructed in the Second Empire style, the Parliament building has four wings set in a square. Its façade bears 22 bronze statues of the women and men who marked the country's history. Quebec's motto, Je me souviens, I remember, is sculpted in stone above the portal. Returning to the centre, the Art Deco Price Building was the first skyscraper in Quebec City, built by the Price Brothers Paper Company in 1929, to house its headquarters. The Art Deco style was directly inspired by the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative Arts in Paris, where a style characterized by highly geometrical designs was introduced. Quebec's central post office building, dating from 1873, was designed by architect Pierre Gauvreau. In 1913, a false façade with columns and a cupola were added on the side facing the river. The limestone building was renamed in 1984 to commemorate Louis S. Saint-Laurent, Prime Minister of Canada from 1949 to 1958, who resided in Quebec. Next to the post office building, on Côte de la Montagne, is a monument Monseigneur de Laval, the first Bishop of Quebec. The work of sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert from 1908. It is made of bronze and granite. Erected in 1898, the statue of Samuel de Champlain is the work of Parisian sculptor Paul Chevret. It occupies the spot where the old Saint-Louis Fort once stood, and where Champlain died on Christmas Day, 1635. An angel on the pedestal sounds the trumpets, announcing the glory of the founder of Quebec. At the center of Place des Armes stands a gothic-style monument named Monument de la Foix, an homage to the first missionaries in the colony. Houses near the square are topped with gable roofs, covered with wooden boards or shingles. Laid out in about 1689, the narrow Rue du Tésor, or Treasury Street, led to the offices of the Marine Treasury in the French colonial period. Since the end of the 1950s, this open-air art gallery offers passers-by paintings, prints, watercolors, and drawings of picturesque spots of Quebec's old city. Quebec was a center of population and had an urban organization very early on, as well as a zoning system which stemmed from these various functions. The cliff divided the city into two districts, the business district in the lower city, where commerce and the navy were located, and the administrative and religious center, which gradually took hold in the upper city. Several former private estates have been transformed into large open spaces that have become popular public areas. Newer city parks were designed to capture the essence of the wider open spaces on the outskirts of town. Each neighborhood and district has its own parks that contribute to improving the quality of life in the city, which is already reputed to be among the highest among North American cities. A monument honoring Monseigneur Tochereau, Archbishop of Quebec, stands in City Hall Square. The architect Tonguy designed the City Hall building, which was inaugurated in 1896. Quebec City's heritage is not all tucked away behind the old stone fortifications. Each neighborhood and district reflects how local history was affected by the diversity of their inhabitants. All these attractions and historical sites bear witness to the influence of the omnipresent religious orders and institutions on Quebec society. A well-preserved, integrated urban ensemble, the Historic District of Quebec City is a remarkable example of a fortified city from the colonial era that is unique in North America.