Montreal is the most French city in Canada. What to see and where to go in Montreal

Montreal - City on King's Hill

The second largest city in Canada (population 3.327 thousand people) One of the world's largest industrial ports, industrial and cultural centers of North America, which is called the "Canadian New York". And as a symbol of the embodiment of New France on the American continent, he received the name "Montparnasse on the Great River."
Montreal is a city of charm, a romantic city that is impossible not to fall in love with. For all its individuality, it is so cosmopolitan both in architecture and in the general human sense that, as soon as you arrive here, you feel that you have already been here, albeit a long time ago. But still, not at the time of the first settlers, who, in search of a better life, left their inhabited places and sailed to the other end of the world.

It is known for certain that the English sailor J. Cubbot was the first to land on the lands of present-day Canada in 1534. And the Frenchman Jacques Cartier was the first to climb the St. Lawrence River and soon the first fishing settlements of immigrants from Europe appeared on its banks. The early period of the formation of the new state was marked by the struggle of France and Great Britain. The French were supported by the local tribes of the Alconquins, and the British by the Iroquois. But still, at first, subjects of Louis XIV, led by S. Champlain, dominated this area. In 1608, he founded the city of Quebec, which later became the center of the colony of New France, which focused on fertile lands along the St. Lawrence River. And in 1642, soldiers and the first settlers led by Paul de Chomedy arrived in a small Indian village at the foot of the forested mountain Khoschelaga. The place was very convenient and promising: it was located near the intersection of the St. Lawrence with tributaries Ottawa and Richelieu. The Indians were "pressed out", the Low Mountain (233 m) was renamed and the King's Hill - Mont Royal. From this subsequently came the name of the city - Montreal.

The total number of French settlers is still si. but inferior to the English, and as a result of the Seven Years' War in 1763, New France became a British possession - the province of Quebec. And then for hundreds of years, Lower (Quebec) and Upper (English) Canada fought for the independence of their country. In 1867, Canada received the status of a dominion and became a single state, which included other provinces. In the middle of the 19th century, Montreal was the capital of the United Provinces of Canada. Montrealers still believe that if in 1849 the building of the first Canadian parliament in St. Anne's market, on the site of which the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum now stands, had not burned down, their city would still be the capital of Canada.

Montreal is the fifth oldest city to have appeared on this mainland and the second French-speaking city in the world, for which it is called the Paris of North America. French Canadians, in more than two centuries of isolated development, have separated themselves culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically from European French to a much greater extent than Anglo-Canadians from the English, and consider themselves as a separate nation. In terms of population, Montreal bypassed the capital Ottawa and the “provincial” Quebec and is second only to Toronto. But Montreal is still the largest industrial and cultural center Canada, with a purely European charm and impeccable romantic style. Since the St. Lawrence River still, in fact, functions as a “gateway” for emigration, not only the French, the British and other Europeans, but also the native Indians found shelter here. Later they were joined by Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Arabs, Chinese, Hispanics, Indo-Pakistani. In the last decade of the last century, even its own “black community” arose here - immigrants from the island of Haiti. In total, more than 100 nationalities and ethnic groups live here. Two-thirds of the population speaks French - official language province of Quebec, although the country has adopted a law on bilingualism. But it is inappropriate to talk about the dominance of French, as 35 languages are spoken in Montreal, including 20% of the population in English. The city, where the most diverse cultures and beliefs are closely intertwined, absorbed many nationalities, races and castes and became a kind of Canadian New York.

Three and a half centuries later, what used to be a small Indian village has become one of the world's largest industrial ports and centers of trade, the birthplace of the first Canadian banks and trading companies. Montreal, named City of 2000, has entered the 21st century as a cosmopolitan city, a leader in high technology, arts, culture, sports and entertainment. Its area is 177 sq. km. Despite the ebullient energy and vibrant life, Montreal has preserved many historical monuments and buildings of ancient architecture. The historical center is a web of narrow, cobbled, humpbacked streets built up with stone buildings with porticos, beautiful stucco and colonnades, countless souvenir shops with walls dark from time to time, completely hung with paintings and pictures depicting these same streets, monuments, churches.

This is one of most beautiful cities North America, its appearance and architecture intricately intertwined Western European and North American urban and architectural concepts, and yet European, perhaps, prevail today. Unlike many North American cities with their fairground, parrot coloring, where the flashy colors of huge advertisements cover the almost plywood walls of faceless boxes, Montreal is largely built up with solid, stylistically consistent buildings, connected in slender ensembles. Many have granite facing, sculptural decorations. Montreal is compared with Paris, Budapest, and even with St. Petersburg - because it is spread over many river islands. The city, growing, went out on both banks of the river, absorbing numerous suburbs - Laval, Longueil, Verdun, Lachine - and many towns, the names of which, like the names of most streets, squares, bridges, schools and hospitals, are given in honor of Catholic saints and therefore, they begin with "Sen" or "Sent". For this feature, cheerful Montrealers ironically call their city "the city of all Saints."

The old city is reminiscent of European buildings of ancient times, on its streets you can hear the clatter of hooves - these are carriages, and you can see people in historical costumes, which also gives Montreal a peculiar atmosphere. Particularly beautiful is the part of the city that goes to the port. It is somewhat reminiscent of the old European streets on which all the people pour out in the evening to take a walk, sit in a cafe or restaurant. The planning of the city successfully used natural terraces, rising in steps from the river bank to the top of the hill. On the lower terrace there are port facilities and industrial enterprises, on the middle one - multi-storey shopping centers, administrative buildings of banks, insurance companies and firms. Residential buildings are located mainly closer to the top of the hill. But the most fashionable district, by the will of history, belongs to immigrants from England. Everything here sparkles day and night with advertising lights for expensive shops (and even more expensive boutiques), theaters, cinemas, restaurants. Walking along the Rue Sainte-Catherine, which crosses the city from west to east, you hear how the speech gradually changes from English to exclusively French. The "border" for a long time passed near the intersection of Sainte-Catherine with the boulevard Saint-Laurent, leading from north to south. Here you especially clearly understand how multinational modern Montreal is: many immigrants live in the "corridor" between the "English" and "French" districts of the city, stretching on both sides of the boulevard. Italian, Spanish, Greek speech can be heard no less than English. Over the past decades, "ethnic boundaries" have noticeably blurred. And above it all, on the highest point extinct volcano a 33-meter illuminated cross hovers, symbolizing the Catholic faith.

Acquaintance with the city and its environs is best to start from the island itself, on which the central part of the city is located. From here it is convenient to go for walks around Montreal and most interesting places around him. It will take only 45 minutes to get to the Laurentian and Laurentian mountains. national park who is known for being great ski resort ready to welcome everyone at any time of the year. An hour's drive to the southeast are Eastern Settlements- a quiet and cozy island of provincial life with magnificent nature and green hills.

But let's return to Montreal, where the silent charm of ancient churches is increasingly trying to outshine the huge modern buildings of glass and concrete. But so far, they are not doing well. No matter how chic and great they are, they do not bear the imprints of history and sweet charm, antiquity. The French settlers, as far as possible, reproduced their native culture in the new place, primarily the culture of the northwestern regions of France, including Paris. Some of Montreal's religious buildings have become smaller copies of famous European architectural monuments. For example, the Cathedral of the Merciful Patroness of the Madonna - Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecour. This building, built in 1657, is externally a copy of Notre Dame Cathedral. Its walls and vaults are decorated with images of saints - the patrons of all sailors and travelers. In the niches of the interior of the cathedral there are miniature copies of a wide variety of ships - from modest fishing boats and small sailboats of the 15th century to huge modern ones. ocean liners, and sea anchors, rusted from long journeys, are placed at the altar. People come here to this day to pray, and the happy return of their fathers and brothers, husbands and sons from the voyage. Perhaps that is why all kinds of marine items fit so naturally into the interior of Notre Dame de Bonsecour.
A Cathedral St. James (1870) on Dominica Square is similar to St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome; statues of saints are located on the entire facade of the temple above the portico with Corinthian columns. The majestic cathedral (its height is about 30 m) is crowned with a huge dome, which is twice the height of the building itself. And although the concrete hulk of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel hangs over him like a mountain, but the stones warmed by the hearts attract attention much more than mirrors and concrete.

Not lost among the newfangled giants and the Cathedral of St. Joseph (Joseph). Built on a high hill, open to air and sunlight, it looks majestic and monumental. In front of the cathedral is a statue of St. Joseph, which is engraved with the words: "Come to Saint Joseph." In total, there are over 300 churches and churches in Montreal, as well as a huge number of chapels and chapels.
As one of Canada's oldest cities, Montreal cherishes its architectural monuments. After the restoration, Ramse Castle opened its doors, offering citizens and guests of the city to admire the renovated gardens. see the everyday life of Montreal as it was at the beginning of the 20th century. And some architectural landmarks are still used for their intended purpose, for example, Windsor Train Station. Its building, incised and almost sheer mountain, resembles medieval castle The southern entrance to the station is at the level of the bridges, and the exit to the platform is located at the height of the second floor, and to get to the cars, passengers need to take the elevator.

In many ways, modern Montreal is a city of skyscrapers, highways, virtuoso transport interchanges. Its business center with numerous bank headquarters and offices of various companies looks like a typical New York Manhattan from the right bank of the St. Lawrence River, but at the same time, skyscraper matches are scattered not so chaotically, and outwardly very diverse. With these buildings, Montreal seems to be trying to prove that it keeps up with the times and is a city of the 21st century. So, most recently, the building of the Palais des Congrès has impressively doubled its size, at the same time challenging the faceless urban style. His southwestern the façade was made up of vertical glass blocks in pink, greenish yellow and blue. The result was amazing: when the sun's rays hit the glass, the whole space (both the interior and the facade) shimmers with many colors and creates the impression that there is no end to the windows. The following lines appeared in the Architecture of Canada magazine: “A rather ordinary and no different place is transformed into an unforgettable and colorful building that changed Montreal. As if people looked at the city through a kaleidoscope. The building is decidedly unconventional.”

A magnificent modern residential complex "Habitat" The original idea of the architect M. Saft is simply difficult to convey in words. The building seems to be built of many parallelepipeds, crawling on top of each other. From a distance, it is somewhat reminiscent of a mountain village, in which it is difficult to determine where one tier of houses ends and the next begins.
Montrealers even manage to “smooth” the features of “Americanism” and modernism in architecture with elements of the old French style. In this manner, the new building of the University, the Laurentian Hotel and some residential buildings are built. Whether the veil of antiquity only decorates the city, but does not prevent it from remaining one of the leaders in economic growth. Montreal has more precision technology businesses than any other city in North America. More than 110 thousand people are employed only in the informatics sector. 40% of the entire Canadian pharmaceutical industry, including the booming biotechnology, is concentrated in and around Montreal. And giants such as Bombardier and CAE Electronics have made the city a leader in aircraft and rocket manufacturing in North America. Shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, chemical industry and electrometallurgy, oil refineries and enterprises of light and food industries (up to 50% of all Canadian production) work on advanced technologies and try not to “spoil” appearance cities. Many multinational companies prefer to settle in Montreal. They are attracted by the professionalism and high qualification of local specialists who are fluent in the two most common languages in business. This is facilitated by the excellent education system, which is rightfully considered one of the best in the world. And Montreal has a lot of colleges, four of the most prestigious universities in Canada (French-speaking Montreal and Quebec-in-Montreal (UQAM) and English-speaking McGill and Concordia), and tuition fees are one of the lowest in developed countries. Graduates of Montreal universities are highly regarded in academic circles.

Diversity is not only the labor and educational life of the city. Montreal is often cited as a leader in North America in the arts, culture, sports and entertainment. French-Canadian culture is characterized by "European" sophistication and at the same time deep originality. It has developed its own school of fiction, theatrical art, national cinematography, a kind of painting, on the basis of the richest folk musical folklore, a galaxy of magnificent chansonniers has grown up, whose work at one time gave the strongest impetus to the post-war revival and the flourishing of the modern musical culture France (and not vice versa, as they usually say).

In addition, Montrealers amaze with their love of life. It seems that the city itself is awake all 24 hours a day and invites its guests not to waste time sleeping, but to take a closer look at it. For example, go and admire the St. Lawrence River from various bridges. There are 15 of them in Montreal, but you need to visit at least one - the famous handsome bridge of Jacques Cartier (its length is 4.5 km), named after one of the founders of the French colony in the province of Quebec. From here open great views to a workaholic port accessible to ocean-going vessels rising up the mighty river, and to the city.

More than one day can be spent exploring the wonderful collections in Montreal's museums. According to the number of museums art galleries, theaters Montreal has no equal among the cities of Canada. It has about thirty museums ranging from the "traditional" ones, such as the Museum of Canadian History, the Montreal Museum of Archeology and History, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Decorative Arts, or the Museum of Modern Art, to the rather unusual ones, such as the Montreal Bank Museum, the Water Museum, or the Puppet Museum. But even in traditional museums, you can get to "non-format" exhibitions, for example, "All about milk in Montreal, or Who, how and with whom drinks."

But in terms of well-groomed alleys, squares and parks, Montrealers do not deviate from traditions. The huge city is full of greenery. There are more than 350 parks in it alone. The most famous of them is Mont Royal Park, created by the American designer F. Olmsted, author Central Park in NYC. It is spread out on the Jura of the same name, and from its observation platforms the city opens up in all its splendor. Tangled paths either climb up or run down, as if striving to lead away from the intended goal. The impression is that you are wandering through a wild forest, and even gray squirrels are jumping around. On the steps of the central pavilion "Le Chatet et Son Belvedere" there are soldiers in the costumes of the old French army on guard.

An unconditional decoration of the city is a wonderful botanical garden - the second largest in the world. You can ride along its paths on a special “train”, it is so huge. Flower beds with tulips will be replaced by a rose garden, and then thickets of lilacs of various varieties. A huge garden of medicinal herbs is adjacent to a fenced-in plantation of poisonous plants. Flowers, herbs, rushes... In the Chinese park of the Botanical Garden there are traditional artificial mountains with waterfalls. In Japanese - a permanent exhibition of bonsai. Moreover, half of the bizarre dwarf trees are represented by Canadian maples. One of the pavilions is given to live butterflies, and in the insectarium there are also butterflies, but already on pins, and other spider-pikes. Watch - do not review.

There are several ponds here, they are good to sit in the shade, relax, look at the swimming ducks, especially before diving into the sea of flowers from all over the world in the greenhouse. The Botanical Garden is also magnificent for Halloween. These days the “Big Pumpkin Ball” opens the festive season here. About 600 large and small pumpkins appear on the grounds of the garden, and not just ordinary pumpkins in the nearest supermarket, but intricately and ingeniously decorated with light bulbs and sound devices. This is an event for every family, because anyone can take part in the competition for the most beautiful pumpkin.

Not far from the Botanical Garden near the Olympic Stadium there is a beautiful park. The 1976 Summer Olympics were a major international sporting event in Montreal. For the celebration of sports, the French architect Roger Tanber, in collaboration with Canadian architects, designed and built a multifunctional complex, which included: a stadium for 70 thousand seats, a huge swimming pool, a velodrome and an inclined multi-tiered tower 170 meters high with many sports halls. From the observation deck of the famous tower offers a beautiful view of the city. The ultra-modern cycle track built for the Games in the early 1990s was converted into a magnificent "Biodome" - a museum, but most likely a collection of "working models" of various bioclimatic zones of the world. Here, under one roof, the most diverse representatives of flora and fauna from many parts of the world are collected in four active ecosystems with plants, animals and landscapes of the tropics, northern coniferous forest, coastal zone and the Arctic.
A great impression is made by the complex of the World Exhibition "Expo-67", which once gave a strong impetus to further development cities. Her pavilions are still operating on the island of Saint Helen. And one of the largest expositions in the world is called "Land of the people" (taken from the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery) or, in the English version, "Man and his world."

How big tourist centre, a city with 400 years of history, has taken care to provide its guests with an incredible variety of recreational activities: from shopping to festivals. Montreal has countless national restaurants that can satisfy and. every taste and budget. Only the Russian-speaking community opened the doors of dozens of restaurants - from the Hermitage with European cuisine to a teahouse with pasties. Chinatown offers its own set of national people - these are several blocks of Chinese restaurants and shops. The city has many different playgrounds, a wide range of sports competitions. In the cinemas of the city, you may be able to watch films released at the Montreal Film Studio, and, believe me, they are the most interesting of all Canadian film production. Numerous casinos attract fans to risk money. If you are tired of sunlight, you can go underground, but not in the subway (although, of course, there is one), but in the amazing "Underground City". It seems that all the shops, shopping centers, entertainment establishments that did not have enough space on earth, climbed deeper. This is about 30 km of passages connecting about 2000 cafes, cinemas, shops, concert venues, metro stations and parking lots. From the "Underground City" you can get to hotels, offices, residential buildings, metro stations and even churches - about 60 buildings in total.

And soon the "underground city" will acquire new quarters. Since the city is still not going to break away or its European older brother, the Historical Museums of Montreal decided to restore the labyrinths of underground drains and turn them into a tourist attraction - "like in Paris." The project involves the restoration of sewers from the museum building and the first McGill Market.

Montreal - modern city, noisy and bright, decorated with neon advertising, constantly becomes a stage for numerous festivals and shows. Thus, it justifies one more of its many names - "City of Festivals". They say it hosts 480 festivals and shows a year (1.3 per day!). The Montreal sky at the end of June and throughout July blooms with the colors of the fireworks festival. Dozens of countries present their pyrotechnic masterpieces to the public. There are no words to describe the delight and admiration when, standing on the Jacques Cartier bridge, you watch all kinds of bright and bizarre bouquets blooming right above your head. And all this to the beat of the music accompanying the show. This International Jazz Festival has enveloped the sounds of night Montreal.

In addition to several magnificent halls, the city generously gives away venues for open sky so that anyone can enjoy the art of both professional, venerable performers and novice musicians. People here are very fond of such shows held right on the squares, and it should be noted that not a single performance of this kind has ever been marked by an outburst of negative emotions. The Franco Folies festival is very popular. French speech is heard everywhere, quite significantly different from the French-Canadian language.

And how interesting are the festivals of jugglers, where professionals and amateurs, adults and children can show their art, skill and ability. And how many movie fans are lining up in the longest lines to get the coveted ticket to the next Fantasia International Fantastic Film Festival or the Montreal New Film Festival. Well, when is the festival held in the city balloons, it is noticeably empty! All residents and guests tend to get to Saint-Jar-sur-Richelieu, which is a 20-minute drive from Montreal, to see how hot air balloons soar in the blue sky - multi-colored colorful manned balloons that look either like fantastic spaceships or like funny characters from children's books. It is truly a fabulous sight.

Hospitable Montreal could not refuse sexual minorities either. The parade of gays and lesbians gathers more than half a million representatives. Their holiday results in a real well-decorative display of the body.
And in last days of the outgoing summer, according to tradition, a celebration of history is held in the old part of Montreal, when the “name days” of a decade are celebrated. Storytellers and comedians amuse the audience, which, under the warm rays of the sun, hastily moves from one square to another
see the defile of vintage cars, look at familiar
costumed characters from childhood, listen in impromptu squares folk music and French retro songs.
Such is Montreal, where pointed Catholic churches and Victorian gables sit side by side with modern skyscrapers with neon signs. It is noisy and cheerful, magnificent and fabulous, business and entertainment symbol of the new France and just a city that has become a haven for many interesting people and events.

general information

The first church on this site appeared in 1672 and was consecrated in honor of the Mother of God. At that time it was the only Catholic church in all of Montreal, and it served as a cathedral church. The cathedral, which has survived to this day, was built in the 19th century. At the time of construction, it was one of the largest Catholic churches in North America.

Every Sunday morning, the melodious ringing of bells gathers parishioners for a traditional Catholic mass. On Saturdays, weddings are held in the church. Interestingly, it was in Notre Dame de Montreal that the wedding of the famous Canadian singer Celine Dion took place. The magnificent wedding, which took place in 1994, attracted a lot of attention from the press and fans of the pop singer.

For visitors, the doors of the cathedral are open daily. During Mass, everyone is allowed into the temple for free. Those who want to see the interiors of the basilica can get here from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 16.30, on Saturdays from 9.00 to 15.30, and on Sundays from 13.00 to 15.30. Entrance for tourists is paid. The money raised is used to maintain repairs. historical building. A ticket for adults costs $6, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $4. Children under the age of 7 are admitted to the temple for free.

The cost of an hour tour of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Montreal for adults costs $ 12, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $ 8. An hour and a half tour for adults costs $18, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $8. Guided tours for groups of 10 to 25 people are available in English and French.

Cathedral history

In 1824, the famous architect James O'Donnell, who built several buildings in Montreal and New York, received an order from the administration Canadian city for the construction of a new Catholic church. In order to supervise the construction of a large cathedral, the architect specially moved from New York to Canada.

The foundation stone of Notre Dame de Montreal was laid in 1829, but the construction of the cathedral dragged on for a long time. A year later, the naves were erected, by 1842 the builders had erected the first tower, and the entire building was completed only in 1872. It took another 7 years for the completion of small details, finishing work and interior design, which took place under the direction of John Redpad.

Then it was decided to build a chapel for the cathedral. For this reason, the opening of Notre Dame de Montreal for believers was pushed back by another 9 years. Finally, in 1888, the majestic Catholic cathedral consecrated and held the first mass in it.

In 1978 there was a big fire. When the temple was restored, the interiors of the chapel had to be almost completely redone.

Architectural features

Notre Dame de Montreal was built of natural stone in the Neo-Gothic tradition, so its outlines are very reminiscent of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. It is noteworthy that North America began to master this architectural style much later than Europe.

On either side of the central entrance rise two monumental square towers crowned with graceful battlements. They have their own names: "Perseverance" and "Restraint". The largest bell in North America, weighing up to 12 tons, hangs in the western tower. The sound of the huge bell is so strong that it can be heard at a distance of 15 km. The entrance to the cathedral is decorated with three lancet arches.

What can be seen inside

The interiors of Notre Dame de Montreal look very festive and solemn. The temple is decorated with rich wall paintings, fine wood carvings and gilding, and the inner vaults are painted in deep blue. Of particular note is the pulpit, which leads to a carved twisted staircase with wooden figures, as well as colored stained glass brought from the French city of Limoges.

The cathedral has an organ with 7,000 pipes, which is valued for its excellent sound. It was made in 1891 by the famous Canadian firm Casavant Frères and is considered one of the largest pipe organs in the world. The temple regularly hosts concerts of choral and organ music, during which you can listen to works by famous composers and songs from popular films. A concert ticket for an adult costs $12, and for children from 7 to 17 years old - $8.

How to get there

Notre-Dame de Montreal is located at 110 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, in the Old Town of Montreal. On line 2 of the Montreal metro, you need to get to the Place-d "Armes" ("Weapons Square") station. In addition, the cathedral can be reached by buses No. 55S, 361N and 363N.

Most French city Montreal - Photos, Attractions

Montreal is the most French city outside of France. Montreal is the most Big city Canadian province of Quebec. But Canada does not smell here. Everything here is French. Language, cuisine and even street names. Throughout the world, Montreal is called the second Paris.

Once in Montreal, at first it is difficult to understand that you are in Canada. Here you have typical North American skyscrapers, like in Chicago or Toronto, and on the other side of the street there are French baroque buildings, just like in Paris. Most speak French, all the signs are in French, people dress stylishly, you can't tell the difference from the French. Montreal is similar to Paris in that it also has many different cathedrals and churches. Here, just like in Paris, there is a Notre Dame.

If anywhere there is a place from which it is best to look at Montreal, it is at the top of Mont-Royal. The most high point Montreal. From here the whole city is at a glance. The French arrived in these lands 400 years ago. Today, Montreal has become the largest French city outside of France. True, from above, Montreal looks like a chaotic jumble of skyscrapers. There is no resemblance to Paris at all.

Tower of the Montreal Olympic Stadium

Montreal can also be viewed from the famous leaning tower of the Montreal Stadium. This tower is a marvel of architectural thought. It is tilted 6 times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built for the 1976 Olympics. In fact, nothing special, the usual Observation deck. And the view of the city from it is far from a panoramic cover of the city.

If you want to eat something tasty and unusual in Montreal, try Poutine. Poutine is the most famous Montreal dish. In fact, this is an ordinary fried potato sprinkled with soft cheese and poured with hot sauce.

Montreal is a city of contemporary art. Various art objects here at every step. Here is a vivid example: the musical swing at the Art Square. These 21 swing collective musical instrument. Each rocker produces the sound of a particular instrument. The higher you swing the swing, the higher the note.

musical swing

As a tourist in Montreal, be sure to visit a unique place - Biodome. Here, in a huge room, different corners of the earth are recreated. In Biodome you can jump from the Siberian forest to the ocean coast, from the polar regions to the Amazon jungle. Natural wild animals live here. The climate is maintained corresponding to reality.

Everyone knows Canadians are crazy about hockey. Hockey is a Canadian religion. Hockey symbols are on every corner. Hockey trophies are considered sacred relics here. If a tourist, while in Canada, does not go to hockey, then he will never see the real Canada. Montrealers are avid fans of their hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal is considered the birthplace of hockey.

You don't expect to see so much Europe in North America. Not surprisingly, tourists from the US often come to Montreal to sort of walk around France. Let's be honest, Montreal is a long way from Paris.

What to see and where to go in Montreal?

The most interesting and Beautiful places for walks. Photos and a short description.

1. Old Montreal

The historic quarter of the city, within which the main attractions are located: the town hall, the Jacques Cartier bridge, the Church of Notre Dame de Montreal, the clock tower and other tourist attractions. The history of this part of the city began in the 17th century, when the French settlement of Ville-Marie was founded. The British colonists also made a significant contribution to the appearance of Old Montreal.

2. Mont-Royal

A small hill with three peaks, located in the urban area of Montreal. The main attractions of Mont-Royal are a stone cross over 30 meters high and the Oratory of St. Joseph - one of the largest Catholic churches in Canada. In 1876, a park appeared on the slopes of the hill, which eventually became a popular vacation spot for the residents of Montreal. In summer they ride bicycles here, and in winter they ski.

3. Old Port of Montreal

An important transport hub in the past and a space for walks and recreation in the present. Despite the loss of its strategic importance, the old port is still active, and ships often come here. Tourist ships also dock here. There is a cozy square along the embankment, which is nice to walk around on a fine day. The port has an IMAX cinema and the city's science museum.

4. Oratory of St. Joseph

Catholic basilica built at the beginning of the 20th century. At first it was a modest chapel, accommodating a small number of parishioners. In 1917, it became necessary to expand and a larger church was built. The third phase of construction began in 1924 and continued until 1967. The founder of the temple, brother Andre, was famous for his miraculous deeds, so the basilica was visited by numerous pilgrims.

5. Notre Dame Cathedral of Montreal

Montreal Cathedral, located within the historical center of the city. The building was built in neo-gothic style. Its 70-meter bell towers dominate all surrounding buildings. The temple was erected in 1672 at the expense of the Catholic community. In 1924, architect D. O'Donell began work on a new building. After construction was completed in 1872, the basilica became the largest religious building in North America.

6. Cathedral of Mary Queen of Peace

Catholic temple of the late XIX century, located in the modern district of Montreal, surrounded by skyscrapers. The building was built in the Baroque and Renaissance styles. Its forms copy the outlines of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. Of course, the Montreal Cathedral is much smaller than its Roman prototype, and there are also differences in interior decoration. But in general, it is a reduced copy of the latter.

7. Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

The temple was erected in the 18th century on the ruins of an old chapel that was damaged by fire. The building was built in an interesting Norman Gothic style. A small museum of Marguerite Bourgeois, the holy founder of the female monastic order of the Mother of God, was opened at the temple. The exposition acquaints visitors with the early history of Montreal, the church itself, as well as the worldly deeds of Marguerite.

8. Arts Square

The main cultural complex of Montreal, one of the largest in all of Canada. It is located in the eastern part of the city. The Arts Square is a multifunctional center where spectators can enjoy opera, ballet, drama, concerts, as well as contemplate the fine arts. The complex was created in 1963 on the initiative of Mayor J. Drapou.

9. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

The gallery is considered one of the largest and most famous in all of North America. It was founded as an association fine arts in the middle of the 19th century. The collection contains more than 30 thousand items from different eras, including an extensive art exhibition with paintings by famous European painters. Most of the collection was received as a gift from local patrons.

10. Museum of Pointe-à-Callières

Archaeological Museum, which was opened in 1992 to celebrate the 350th anniversary of Montreal. The complex of buildings is located in the heart of the Old Town. The museum consists of exhibition halls, multimedia center, auditoriums for conferences and research rooms. It has its own permanent exhibition and quite often temporary exhibitions are held.

11. Montreal Biodome

The Montreal Biodome combines a science center, an ecological park with imitation of five ecosystems at once, and a zoo under one roof. It is located in the building of the former velodrome built for the 1976 Olympics. The main mission of the center is education in the field of ecology and promotion of a responsible attitude to the environment. Lectures are often given here and films about nature are shown.

12. Montreal insectarium

The basis of the insectarium collection was a frequent meeting of the entomologist J. Brossard. Thanks to him, a special place appeared in the city where visitors can look at all possible insects. The insectarium opened to the public in 1990 and has since become one of Montreal's most visited attractions. More than 250 thousand different species are represented here, more than 100 of them are alive.

13. Biosphere

A unique museum located on the island of St. Helena. Its exhibition is dedicated to water resources the St. Lawrence River. The unusual structure resembles a huge soap bubble made of metal lace, inside of which engineering structures are placed. The Biosphere was created for the 1967 World's Fair and later placed at the disposal of the city authorities. The museum opened in 1990.

14. Montreal City Hall

City Council building located in historical center. The first town hall was built according to the project of A.-M. Perrault and A. Hutchison in the "second Empire" style. As a result of a fire in 1922, only the walls remained of the building. Restoration work was carried out under the supervision of L. Parent, who gave the building the features of a Beaux-Arts style. In 1984, the town hall was recognized as a national monument.

15. Habitat 67

An unusual residential complex in the brutalist style, designed by M. Safdie in the 60s of the XX century. It was built for the opening of the World Exhibition in 1967, the theme of which was residential construction. In essence, Habitat 67 is an apartment building consisting of cubes fused together. Due to the design features, each apartment owner has his own private garden on the roof of his neighbor.

16. "Underground City"

A system of tunnels, passages, halls, metro stations and shopping arcades located underground. Some residents refer to this space as "inner Montreal". It also has residential apartments, offices, cinemas and restaurants, among which it is easy enough to get lost. Often residents use roads underground city” to avoid traffic jams and get to the place faster.

17. Bonsecour Market

Bonsecour is not quite a market in the usual sense. Rather, it can be considered shopping center, which houses some of the most expensive stores in Montreal. Small boutiques sell furniture, crockery, stone and wood crafts, clothes, paintings and jewelry. All this variety of trade occupies a monumental building of the 19th century, which looks more like a hall for parliamentary sessions.

18. Market "Jean Talon"

A farmer's market selling healthy and wholesome food. On the shelves of buyers waiting for a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and herbs. Everything looks quite fresh, appetizing and quite inexpensive considering the local price level. From the exotic - zucchini flowers, which, it turns out, can be fried and eaten. They taste just as good as the zucchini themselves.

19. Circuit named after Gilles Villeneuve

The circuit hosts the Canadian stage of the Formula 1 race (Canada Grand Prix). It is a rather winding track laid among lakes and park pavilions. There are many sharp turns here, which requires professionalism and maximum concentration of attention from pilots. Interestingly, outside of racing, some sections of the circuit are used as public roads.

20. Montreal Botanical Garden

In 2008 the garden was recognized natural monument Canada thanks to the incredible diversity of species growing on its territory. Plants from all over the world are collected here. Under the open sky, there are several thematic zones dedicated to individual countries or places on the planet: China, Japan, the Alps, northern territories. The garden was founded in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression.

Basilica Notre Dame de Montreal (Canada) - description, history, location. The exact address and website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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Basilica Notre Dame de Montreal is located in the historic quarter of Montreal and is considered one of the most beautiful churches In Canada.

This is a neo-Gothic cathedral, which is decorated with 70-meter bell towers. These bell towers previously served as a landmark in the city, and today they are one of the most beautiful architectural structures in the city.

Initially, a small church was built on the site of the current cathedral. wooden church. Money for it was collected by the whole world at the initiative of the Catholic community, and for a long time it was the only Catholic church in Montreal, where parishioners from all over the city gathered.

It was in this cathedral that singer Celine Dion married her husband.

The city was being built at a rapid pace, and soon the small church physically ceased to accommodate everyone. Therefore, at the beginning of the 19th century. it was decided to build a more spacious cathedral, this time of stone.

To this day, the building of this cathedral has come down almost unchanged. Like 200 years ago, it is decorated with gilded sculptures, and the altar is carved from rare woods. The inner vaults are painted in deep blue, on which golden stars shine. Music connoisseurs also note that it is in this cathedral that one of the largest pipe organs in the world is located.

Practical information

Address: 110 Rue Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal.

Entrance: 7 CAD.

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Where to stay: In the multinational capital of the province of Quebec - the city of Quebec: here you can find many accommodation options for any budget - both magnificent "five" and inexpensive apart-hotels aimed at long stay. The provincial spirit of Montreal, spread over the islands, will appeal to romantics and fans of a relaxing holiday. And in