Old Port (Montreal)

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The old harbor in autumn, in the background the Marché Bonsecours

The Old Port ( French Vieux-Port , English Old Port ) is a touristic part of the port facilities in the Canadian city ​​of Montreal . It stretches over a length of two kilometers along the bank of the St. Lawrence River and borders the old town of Montreal . The old port includes former pier systems, which are connected by a promenade.

Today's Port of Montreal , the largest inland port in North America, is further downstream.

history

Steamships in the Old Harbor (around 1870)

The old port is closely linked to the history of the city. At the Pointe-à-Callière , which is roughly in the middle of the area, Samuel de Champlain set up a temporary fur trading post in June 1611 . French colonists founded Fort Ville-Marie on May 17, 1642 at the same location , from which the city of Montreal subsequently developed.

The Old Port was vital to the city's growth over the next three centuries. The most extensive expansion was made in the 1890s, when the Canadian government built several piers, warehouses, docks and wheat silos. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 heralded the decline of the Old Port - a development that intensified in 1970 with the closure of the Lachine Canal . The port operations in the city center ended in 1976 when it was moved downstream.

From 1977 the federal government planned to renovate the disused port area. In 1981 a riverside park was created, and six of the eight tracks on the port railway were removed. The Société du Vieux-Port de Montréal implemented a comprehensive area development plan from 1989. In 1992 the Old Port was opened for tourist use on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the city of Montreal, and the Lachine Canal reopened ten years later. Today the old harbor is frequented by six million visitors every year.

Sights and activities

Promenade in the Old Port in winter, behind the Pont Jacques-Cartier and the Tour de l'Horloge

On the Rue de la Commerce, which is parallel to the waterfront, there are numerous listed buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours pilgrimage chapel with the Musée Marguerite-Bourgeoys , the market hall Marché Bonsecours , the Musée Pointe-à-Callière and the old customs house . More modern buildings include the Tour de l'Horloge (clock tower) and the Science Museum Center des sciences de Montréal , which also includes an IMAX cinema.

The old harbor is the scene of numerous events and folk festivals. These include the Montréal en lumière festival , the Igloofest and the Matsuri Japon . In winter, part of the site is used as an ice rink .

Web links

Commons : Old Port (Montreal)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Samuel de Champlain . In: Dictionary of Canadian Biography . 24 volumes, 1966–2018. University of Toronto Press, Toronto ( English , French ). , accessed November 30, 2011.
  2. ^ Paul-André Linteau: Histoire de Montréal depuis la Confédération . Éditions Boréal, Montreal 1992, ISBN 2-89052-441-8 , pp. 22 .
  3. ↑ a b Histoire des Quais du Vieux-Port de Montréal. Quais du Vieux-Port, archived from the original on April 24, 2012 ; Retrieved November 30, 2011 (French).

Coordinates: 45 ° 30 ′ 18 ″  N , 73 ° 33 ′ 9 ″  W.