Gravenhurst, Ontario
| Gravenhurst | |||
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 Opera Hall in Gravenhurst |
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| Motto : Wealth & Industry | |||
| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| Region : | Muskoka District Municipality | ||
| Coordinates : | 44 ° 55 ′ N , 79 ° 22 ′ W | ||
| Area : | 523.2 km² | ||
| Residents : | 10,899 (as of 2001) | ||
| Population density : | 20.8 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Eastern Time ( UTC − 5 ) | ||
| Postal code : | P1P | ||
| Mayor : | John Klinck | ||
| Website : | www.gravenhurst.ca | ||
Gravenhurst is a small town in the Muskoka District Municipality in Ontario , about 160 km north of Toronto . Gravenhurst has a population of about 12,000. In the summer months, this number is almost doubled by holiday guests. Gravenhurst parish extends from Lake Muskoka , one of the largest lakes in the region, to Gull Lake in the southeast.
Points of attraction are a fleet of ancient ships stationed on Lake Muskoka . Also the Norman Bethune House, where the future surgeon was born in 1890. It is mainly visited by Chinese tourists who still adore him today because he spent a few years in China and trained doctors and nurses . During an operation in 1939 he contracted blood poisoning from which he then died.
A camp for German prisoners of war existed here from June 30, 1940 to June 1946.
Further attractions are currently being built in the bay of Lake Muskoka. These include exhibition buildings that cover the history of Gravenhurst. Originally there were numerous sawmills there that were supplied by the loggers. Almost the entire area of Muskoka was forested and the wood was mostly used for building houses.
Well-known personality
- Norman Bethune , doctor and internationalist , was a leader in the surgical treatment of tuberculosis .