Montreal allows the tourist to plunge into French traditions with an American accent. Here the European spirit reigns and at the same time the atmosphere of the western continent is clearly felt. On the one hand, fine cuisine and wine in restaurants, on the other, Indian totem poles in the Botanical Gardens. The Catholic churches of the Old City contrast well with modern business districts, while the futuristic Biosphere looms over the serene landscape of the St. Lawrence River Valley.
The foundation stone of the city was laid by the French colonist Paul Chomede de Maisonneuve. Several centuries later, a small settlement turned into a powerful industrial and commercial center, which plays an important role in the country's economy. For tourists, Montreal is a city of festivals, shows, entertainment and endless shopping. He is hospitable and always open to new guests.
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What to see and where to go in Montreal?
The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. 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, clock tower and other places attractive for tourists. The history of this part of the city began in the 17th century, when the French settlement of Ville-Marie was founded. British colonists also made a significant contribution to the appearance of Old Montreal.
2. Mont Royal
A small hill with three peaks located within the Montreal city limits. The main attractions of Mont-Royal are a stone cross with a height of over 30 meters and St. Joseph's Oratory - 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 Montreal residents. Cycling is performed here in summer and skiing in winter.
3. Old Port of Montreal
An important transport hub in the past and a space for walking and relaxation in the present. Despite the loss of its strategic importance, the old port is still in operation, and ships often come here. Tourist liners also dock here. A cozy park is laid out along the embankment, which is pleasant to walk on a fine day. The port has an IMAX cinema and a city science museum.
4. Oratory of St. Joseph
Catholic basilica, built at the beginning of the 20th century. At first it was a modest chapel that could accommodate a small number of parishioners. In 1917, the need for expansion arose and a larger church was built. The third phase of construction began in 1924 and lasted until 1967. The founder of the temple, Brother Andre, was famous for his miraculous deeds, so the basilica was visited by numerous pilgrims.
5. Cathedral of Our Lady of Montreal
Montreal Cathedral, located within the historic city center. The building was built in the neo-gothic style. Its 70-meter bell towers dominate all the surrounding buildings. The temple was built in 1672 at the expense of the Catholic community. In 1924, architect D. O'Donell began work on a new building. After completion in 1872, the basilica became the largest religious building in North America.
6. Cathedral of Mary Queen of Peace
Catholic temple of the late 19th century, located in the modern area of \u200b\u200bMontreal, surrounded by skyscrapers. The building was built in the Baroque and Renaissance styles. Its forms copy the outlines of St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican. Of course, the Montreal Cathedral is much smaller than its Roman counterpart, and there are also differences in the interior decoration. But in general, it is a reduced copy of the latter.
7. Notre Dame de Bon Secourt
The temple was erected in the 18th century on the ruins of an old chapel, which was damaged by fire. The building was built in an interesting Norman Gothic style. A small museum of Marguerite Bourgeois, the saint founder of the female monastic order of the Mother of God, is open at the temple. The exposition acquaints visitors with the early history of Montreal, the church itself, as well as the worldly deeds of Margaret.
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 and visual arts. The complex was created in 1963 at the initiative of the 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 donated by local patrons.
10. Pointe-a-Calier Museum
Archaeological Museum, which 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, a multimedia center, conference rooms and research rooms. It has its own permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions are often held.
11. Montreal Biodome
Montreal Biodome unites 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 environmental education and promotion of a responsible attitude to environment... It often hosts lectures and shows films about nature.
12. Montreal insectarium
The collection of the insectarium was based on the frequent collection of the entomologist J. Brossard. It was thanks to him that 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 the most visited attractions in Montreal. More than 250 thousand different species are represented here, more than 100 of them are alive.
13. Biosphere
A unique museum located on St. Helena Island. Its exposition is dedicated to the water resources of 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 handed over to the city authorities. The museum opened in 1990.
14. Montreal City Hall
City Council building located in the historic center. The first town hall was built according to the project of A.-M. Perrault and A. Hutchison in the style of the "second Empire". As a result of the fire in 1922, only the walls remained from the structure. The restoration work was carried out under the supervision of L. Parant, who gave the building the features of the boz-ar style. In 1984, the town hall was declared a national monument.
15. Habitat 67
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 1967 World's Fair, the theme of which was residential construction. In fact, Habitat 67 is an apartment building consisting of cubes that have grown together with each other. Thanks to the design features, each apartment owner has his own private roof garden.
16. "Underground city"
A system of tunnels, passages, halls, metro stations and shopping galleries located underground. Some residents refer to this space as "inner Montreal". There are also residential apartments, offices, cinemas and restaurants, among which it is quite easy to get lost. Quite often residents use the roads of the “underground city” to avoid traffic jams and get to the place faster.
17. Market "Bonsecourt"
Bonsecourt is not exactly a market in the usual sense. Rather, it can be considered a shopping center, which houses some of the most expensive shops in Montreal. Small boutiques sell furniture, tableware, stone and wood crafts, clothing, paintings and jewelry. All this commercial diversity occupies a monumental 19th century building that looks more like a parliamentary meeting room.
18. Market "Jean-Talon"
Farmers' market for healthy and healthy food. A huge variety of fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and herbs awaits buyers on the shelves. Everything looks pretty fresh, appetizing and is quite inexpensive considering the local price level. From exotic - zucchini flowers, which, it turns out, can be fried and eaten. They taste no worse than the zucchini themselves.
19. Circuit named after Gilles Villeneuve
The Canadian stage of the Formula 1 race (Canadian Grand Prix) is taking place at the circuit. It is a rather winding track, laid among lakes and park pavilions. There are many sharp turns, which requires professionalism and maximum concentration of attention from the 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 as a Natural Monument of Canada due to the incredible variety of species growing on its territory. Here are collected plants from all over the world. In the open air, there are several thematic zones dedicated to individual countries or places on the planet: China, Japan, the Alps, and northern territories. The garden was founded in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression.
The most French city of Montreal - Photos, Attractions
Montreal Is the most French city outside of France. Montreal is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec. But it doesn't smell like Canada. Everything here is French. Language, cuisine and even street names. All over the world, Montreal is called the second Paris.
Finding yourself 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 buildings in the French Baroque style, 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, as well as 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. Highest point in Montreal. From here the whole city is in full view. The French arrived on 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 trace of any resemblance to Paris.
Montreal Olympic Stadium Tower
Montreal can also be viewed from the famous leaning tower of the Montreal Stadium. This tower is an architectural wonder. It is tilted 6 times more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was built for the 1976 Olympics. In fact, nothing special, an ordinary 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 different in Montreal, try Poutine. Poutine is Montreal's most famous dish. In fact, these are ordinary fried potatoes, sprinkled with soft cheese and hot sauce.
Montreal is a city of contemporary art. Different art objects are here at every step. Here's a prime example: the musical swing at Art Square. These 21 rockers are a collective musical instrument. Each rocker produces the sound of a specific 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 parts of the earth have been 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, being in Canada, does not go to hockey, then he will never see the real Canada. Montreal are avid fans of their hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens. It is Montreal that is considered the birthplace of hockey.
You don't expect to see so much Europe in North America. Not surprisingly, tourists from the United States often come to Montreal to sort of walk around France. Let's be honest, Montreal is far from Paris.
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Montreal - the city on the royal 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 "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 general humanity 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 homes and sailed to the other end of the world.
It is known for certain that the English sailor J. Cabbot 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 between France and Great Britain. The French were supported by the local Alconkin tribes, and the British by the Iroquois. But nevertheless, at first, this area was dominated by the subjects of Louis XIV, led by S. Champlain. In 1608 he founded the city of Quebec, which later became the center of the colony of New France, which concentrated on the fertile lands along the St. Lawrence River. And in 1642, soldiers and first settlers under the leadership of Paul de Chaomedi arrived in a small Indian village at the foot of the wooded Mount Khoshelagy. The place was very convenient and promising: it was located near the intersection of the St. Lawrence with its tributaries Ottawa and Richelieu. The Indians were “pressed”, the Low Mountain (233 m) was renamed and the Royal Hill - Mont Royal. From this later came the name of the city - Montreal.
The total number of French immigrants is still si and. 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. Montreal residents still believe that if in 1849 the building of the first Canadian parliament in St. Anne's market had not been burned down, on the site of which the Pointe-a-Calliere Museum is now located, their city would still be the capital of Canada.
Montreal by age is the fifth city to appear on this mainland, and the second French-speaking city in the world, for which it is called the Paris of North America. For more than two centuries of isolated development, the French Canadians have isolated themselves culturally, linguistically and socio-economically from the European French to a much greater extent than the Anglo-Canadians from the British, and see themselves as a separate nation. In terms of population, Montreal has bypassed metropolitan Ottawa and "provincial" Quebec and is second only to Toronto. But Montreal is still Canada's largest industrial and cultural center, with a purely European charm and impeccable romantic style. Since the St. Lawrence River still, in fact, serves as a "gateway" for emigration, not only the French, British and other Europeans, but also the native Indians found shelter here. Later, Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Arabs, Chinese, Latin Americans, Indo-Pakistanis were added to them. In the last decade of the last century, even its own "black community" has emerged here - immigrants from the island of Haiti. More than 100 nationalities and ethnic groups live here. Two-thirds of the population speaks French, the official language of the province of Quebec, although the country has passed a bilingualism law. But it is inappropriate to repeat about the dominance of French, as 35 languages \u200b\u200bare spoken in Montreal, including 20% \u200b\u200bof the population in English. The city, where the most diverse cultures and beliefs are closely intertwined, has absorbed many nationalities, races and castes and has become 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 trade centers, and the birthplace of the first Canadian banks and trading companies. Montreal, named a city in 2000, entered the 21st century as a cosmopolitan city, a leader in technology, arts, culture, sports and entertainment. Its area is 177 sq. km. Despite the ebullient energy and bustling life, Montreal has preserved many historical monuments and buildings of ancient architecture. The historical center is a web of narrow, cobbled, humpbacked streets lined with stone buildings with porticoes, beautiful stucco molding and colonnades, countless souvenir shops with walls dark from time to time, completely hung with paintings and pictures, which depict these very streets, monuments, churches.
This is one of the most beautiful cities in North America, its appearance and architecture intricately intertwined Western European and North American urban planning and architectural concepts, and yet European, perhaps, prevail today. Unlike many North American cities with their fairground, parrot coloring, where flashy colors of huge advertisements cover almost plywood walls of faceless boxes, Montreal is largely built up with solid, stylistically sustained buildings that combine into slender ensembles. Many have granite cladding and sculptural decorations. Montreal has been compared to Paris, Budapest - and even St. Petersburg - because it is spread over many river islands. The city, expanding, came out on both banks of the river, absorbing numerous suburbs - Laval, Longuay, Verdun, Lachin - 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 "Sep" or "Saint". For this feature, the funny Montreal people ironically call their city "the city of all Saints."
The old city resembles the European buildings of ancient times, on its streets you can hear the clatter of hooves - this is the ride of 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 leads to the port. It is somewhat reminiscent of old European streets on which all the people pour out in the evening to take a walk and sit in a cafe or restaurant. The city's planning has successfully used natural terraces that rise in steps from the river bank to the top of the hill. The lower terrace houses port facilities and industrial enterprises, the middle terrace houses multi-storey shopping centers, administrative buildings of banks, insurance companies and firms. Residential buildings are mainly located closer to the top of the hill. But the most fashionable area by the will of history belongs to immigrants from England. Everything here sparkles day and night with the lights of advertisements for expensive stores (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. For a long time, the “border” passed near the intersection of Sainte-Catherine with Boulevard Saint-Laurent, leading from north to south. It is especially clear here 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 can be heard at least as often as English. Over the past decades, "ethnic boundaries" have become noticeably blurred. And above all this, at the highest point of the extinct volcano, a 33-meter illuminated cross hovers, symbolizing the Catholic faith.
It is best to start exploring the city and its surroundings from the island itself, on which the central part of the city is located. From here it is convenient to go for walks in Montreal and most interesting placesaround it. It only takes 45 minutes to reach the Laurentian and Laurentian mountains national parkwho is known as gorgeous ski resort, ready to accept everyone at any time of the year. An hour's drive to the southeast is the Eastern Settlements - a quiet and cozy island of provincial life with magnificent nature and green hills.
But back 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 gorgeous and great they are - they have no imprints of history and lovely charm, antiquity. The French settlers, as far as possible, reproduced in a new place their native culture, primarily the culture of the northwestern regions of France, including Paris. Some of Montreal's religious buildings have become miniature copies of famous European architectural monuments. For example, the Cathedral of the Merciful Patroness of the Madonna - Notre Dame de Bonsecourt. Built in 1657, this building is externally a copy of Notre Dame Cathedral. Its walls and vaults are decorated with images of the patron saints 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 sailing ships of the 15th century to huge modern ocean liners, and sea anchors, covered with rust from long voyages, are placed at the altar. People come here to pray to this day, and the happy return from the voyage of their fathers and brothers, husbands and sons. Perhaps that is why all kinds of marine items so naturally fit into the interior of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecourt.
A cathedral St. James (1870) in Dominic's Square is similar to St. Peter's 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 even though the concrete hulk of the Queen Elizabeth Hotel hangs over it like a mountain, stones warmed by hearts attract much more attention than mirrors and concrete.
The Cathedral of St. Joseph (Joseph) was not lost among the newfangled giants. Built on a high hill, open to air and sunlight, it looks majestic and monumental. There 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 prayer houses.
As one of the oldest cities in Canada, Montreal cherishes its architectural monuments... After the restoration, the Ramze castle opened its doors, inviting 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 a steep mountain, resembles a medieval castle. The southern entrance to the station is at the level of the pavements, and the exit to the platform is located at the height of the second floor, and to get to the carriages, passengers need to take an elevator.
In many ways, modern Montreal is a city of skyscrapers, high-speed highways, virtuoso transport interchanges. Its business center with numerous headquarters of banks and offices of various companies looks from the right bank of the St. Lawrence River like a typical New York Manhattan, but at the same time the skyscraper matches are scattered not so chaotically, and outwardly they are very diverse. With these buildings, Montreal seems to be trying to prove that it is in step with the times and is a city of the XXI century. For example, more recently, the building of the Palais des Congrès has impressively doubled its size, while challenging the faceless urban style. His southwestern the façade was composed of vertical glass blocks in pink, greenish-yellow and blue. The result was amazing: when the sun's rays hit the glass, the entire space (both the interior and the façade) shimmers with a multitude of colors and gives the impression that there is no end to the windows. The following lines appeared in Architecture Canada magazine: “A rather ordinary and indistinguishable place 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 \u200b\u200bthe architect M. Saft is simply difficult to convey in words. The building seems to be built from many parallelepipeds, crawling over each other. From a distance it is somewhat reminiscent of a mountain village, where it is difficult to determine where one tier of houses ends and the next begins.
Montreal even contrives to “smooth out” the features of "Americanism" and modernism in architecture with elements of the old French style. The new University building, the Laurentian hotel and some residential buildings have been built in this manner. Whether the veil of antiquity only decorates the city, but does not prevent it from remaining one of the leaders of economic growth. Montreal has more precision technology businesses than any other city in North America. More than 110 thousand people are employed in the informatics sector alone. 40% of the entire Canadian pharmaceutical industry, including the rapidly growing biotechnology, is concentrated in Montreal and its environs. And such giants as Bombardier and CAE Electronics have made the city a leader in aircraft and rocketry in North America. Shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, chemical industry and electrometallurgy, oil refineries and light and food industries (up to 50% of total Canadian production) operate using advanced technologies and try not to "spoil" the city's appearance. Many multinational companies choose to settle in Montreal. They are attracted by the professionalism and high qualifications of local specialists who are fluent in the two most common languages \u200b\u200bin 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 academia.
It is not only the working and educational life of the city that is distinguished by its diversity. Montreal is often referred to as the leader in North America in the arts, culture, sports and entertainment. Franco-Canadian culture is distinguished by its “European” sophistication and at the same time deep identity. 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 great stucco chansonniers has grown, whose work at one time barked a strong impetus to the post-war revival and flourishing of the modern musical culture of France, well known in our country ( and not vice versa, as they usually say).
In addition, the Montreal people are striking in 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 should 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, there are magnificent views of the harbor laborer, accessible to ocean-going ships sailing up the mighty river, and of the city.
More than one day can be spent exploring the wonderful collections in Montreal museums. By the number of museums art galleries, theaters Montreal has no I Equal among the cities of Canada. It has about thirty museums ranging from "traditional" museums 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: the Bank of Montreal Museum, the Water Museum or the Puppet Museum. But even in traditional museums you can get to “informal” exhibitions, for example, “All About Milk in Montreal, or Who Drinks How and With Whom”.
But in terms of the well-groomed alleys, squares and parks, Montreal residents do not retreat from traditions. The huge city is surrounded by greenery. There are more than 350 parks alone. The most famous of them is the Mont-Royal Park, created by the American designer F. Olmsted, the author of Central Park in New York. It is spread over the Jurassic of the same name, and from its observation platforms the city opens in all its splendor. Intricate paths that climb up, then run down, as if trying to lead away from the intended target. 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", soldiers in the costumes of the old French army stand guard.
The 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. The flower beds with tulips will be replaced by a rose garden, and then by thickets of lilacs of all sorts. A huge vegetable garden of medicinal herbs adjoins a plantation of poisonous plants surrounded by a fence. Flowers, herbs, rush ... In the Chinese park of the Botanical Garden there are traditional artificial mountains with waterfalls. In Japanese, there is a permanent bonsai exhibition. 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. To watch is not to revise.
There are several ponds here, it is good for them to sit in the shade, relax, look at the swimming ducks, especially before plunging into the sea of \u200b\u200bflowers from all over the world in the greenhouse. The Botanical Garden is also magnificent on 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 bulbs and sound devices. This event is for every family, because anyone can take part in the competition for the most beautiful pumpkin.
There is a beautiful park not far from the Botanical Garden near the Olympic Stadium. The 1976 Summer Olympics were a major event in Montreal's international sports scene. For the holiday of sports, the French architect Roger Tanbert, 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 a sloping multi-tiered tower 170 meters high with many gyms. 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 "Biodom" - a museum, and 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 animal plants and landscape of the tropics, northern coniferous forests, coastal zones and the Arctic.
The complex of the World Exhibition "Expo-67" makes a great impression, which once gave a strong impetus to the further development of the city. Its pavilions are still active on the island of Saint Helene. And one of the world's largest expositions is called "The Land of People" (taken from the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery) or, in the English version, "Man and His World."
How big tourist centre, the city with 400 years of history has taken care of providing its guests with an incredible variety of recreational activities, from shopping to festivals. Montreal has countless national restaurants that cater to and. every taste and budget. Only the Russian-speaking community has opened the doors of dozens of restaurants - from the Hermitage with European cuisine to teahouses with chebureks. Chinatown offers its own set of national people - these are several blocks of Chinese restaurants and shops. There are many different playgrounds in the city, wide choose sports competitions. In the city's cinemas, you may be able to watch the films released by the Montreal Film Studio, and believe me, they are the most interesting of all Canadian film production. Numerous casinos beckon fans to risk their money. If you are tired of the 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, have gone deeper. This is another 30 km of crossings 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 - only about 60 buildings.
And soon "underground city" will acquire new quarters. Since the city is still not going to come off or its European elder brother, then History museums 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 the sewage system from the museum building and the first McGill market.
Montreal is a modern city, bustling and bright, adorned with neon advertisements, constantly becoming a stage site 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 a day!). The Montreal sky at the end of June and throughout July blooms with the colors of the fireworks festival. Dozens of countries are presenting their pyrotechnic masterpieces for everyone's insight. There are no words to describe the delight and admiration when, standing on the Jacques Cartier bridge, you observe all kinds of bright and bizarre bouquets opening right above your head. And all this is in time with the music accompanying the show. This International Jazz Festival is enveloped in the sounds of Montreal at night.
In addition to several magnificent halls, the city generously donates open-air venues so that anyone can enjoy the art of both professional, venerable performers and aspiring musicians. Here they like very much such shows, held right on the squares, and it should be noted that never a single such performance was marked by the release 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 the juggler festivals are, where professionals and amateurs, adults and children can show their art, skill and skill. And how many movie fans are lining up in long queues to get the coveted ticket to the next Fantasy International Fantastic Film Festival or Montreal New Film Festival. Well, when the balloon festival is held in the city, it is noticeably empty! All residents and guests strive to get to Saint-Jar-sur-Richelieu, which is a 20-minute drive from Montreal, to see hot air balloons soar in the blue sky - colorful colorful manned balloons that look like either fantastic spaceships or funny characters from children books. This is truly a fabulous sight.
I could not refuse the hospitable Montreal and sexual minorities. The gay and lesbian parade gathers over half a million representatives. Their celebration results in a real well-decorative body display.
And in the last days of the outgoing summer, according to tradition, a history holiday is held in the old part of Montreal, when the "name days" of any decade are celebrated. Storytellers and comedians amuse the audience, which, under the warm rays of the sun, will mix from one square to another in a hurry
see the defile of old cars, look at the familiar
costumed characters from childhood, listen to folk music and French songs in retro style on improvised squares.
This is Montreal, where spiky Catholic churches and Victorian pediments sit alongside modern skyscrapers with neon signs. He is noisy and cheerful, lush and fabulous, business and entertainment symbol new France and just a city that has become a haven for many interesting people and events.
general information
The first temple on this site appeared in 1672 and was consecrated in honor of the Mother of God. In those days, 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, a melodic bell chime gathers parishioners for a traditional Catholic Mass. Weddings are held in the church on Saturdays. It is interesting that it was in Notre Dame de Montreal that the wedding of the famous Canadian singer Celine Dion took place. A magnificent wedding, which took place in 1994, attracted a lot of attention from the press and fans of the pop singer.
The doors of the cathedral are open for visitors every day. During Mass, everyone is allowed into the temple for free. Those who want to explore the interior 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. The entrance for tourists is paid. The collected money is used to support the renovation of the historic building. A ticket for adults costs $ 6, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $ 4. Children under 7 are admitted to the temple free of charge.
The cost of an hour-long tour of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Montreal for adults costs $ 12, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $ 8. One and a half hour excursion for adults costs $ 18, for children from 7 to 17 years old - $ 8. Guided tours for groups of 10 to 25 people are conducted 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 of the Canadian city for the construction of a new Catholic church. In order to supervise the construction of the 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 took a long time. A year later, the naves were erected, by 1842 the builders had erected the first tower, and the whole building was completed only in 1872. It took another 7 years to complete small details, finishing work and interior decoration, 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 postponed for another 9 years. Finally, in 1888, the magnificent Catholic cathedral was consecrated and the first mass was held there.
In 1978, there was a massive fire. When the church was being restored, the chapel's interiors had to be almost completely redone.
Features of the architecture
Notre Dame de Montreal was built of natural stone in the neo-Gothic tradition, so its shape is 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, there are two monumental square towers topped with graceful battlements. They have their own names: "Perseverance" and "Restraint". In the western tower hangs the largest bell in North America, weighing up to 12 tons. The sound of a 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 pointed arches.
What can be seen inside
The interiors of Notre Dame de Montreal look very festive and solemn. The temple is adorned with rich wall paintings, delicate wood carvings and gilding, and the interior vaults are painted in deep blue. The pulpit, to which a carved spiral staircase with wooden figures leads, as well as colored stained-glass windows brought from the French city of Limoges, deserves a special removal.
The cathedral has a 7000 pipe organ, which is prized for its excellent sound. It was made in 1891 by the famous Canadian company "Casavant Frères" and is considered one of the largest pipe organs in the world. The church regularly hosts concerts of choral and organ music, during which you can listen to works of 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 City of Montreal. Montreal Metro Line 2 takes you to Place-d "Armes" Station, or buses 55S, 361N and 363N to the Cathedral.
