Parc du Mont-Royal
The Parc du Mont Royal is one of the most important parks in Montreal . It is located on the eastern slope of the local mountain Mont Royal and belongs to the group of Grands parcs de Montréal . The 190 hectare park was laid out in 1876 according to plans by Frederick Law Olmsted and is the oldest protected area in the province of Québec . To the west, the park borders the Mont-Royal cemetery and the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges cemetery .
description
At the north end of the park, on Avenue du Parc , is the George-Etienne-Cartier Monument , a monument erected in 1919 in honor of the eminent politician George-Etienne Cartier and the site of the Tam-Tams . On the opposite side of the street, the Parc Jeanne-Mance is a continuation of the Parc du Mont-Royal. The park itself is characterized by extensive forests. The Lac aux Castors ("beaver lake") is an artificially created lake. Two terraces offer a panoramic view of the city center. Next to one of these terraces is the Chalet du Mont-Royal , a striking Beaux-Arts-style building . The Park du Mont-Royal offers various sports and leisure activities. In winter, around 20 kilometers of trails are groomed for cross- country skiers, and there is also a toboggan slope .
history
The first proposals to create a park on Mont Royal were made in the 1840s, when development began to expand in the direction of the ridge. In response to objections that Mont Royal was not accessible at all, Colonel A. Stevenson climbed up with his unit in 1862 and 1863 and fired several salvos with a cannon each to impressively demonstrate his support for the park project. In 1869 the city council approved $ 350,000 for the land purchase, and three years later 16 landowners were expropriated. Frederick Law Olmsted , who had become famous for the Central Park he designed in New York , was commissioned to design the park . Since Montreal was hit by an economic crisis in the mid-1870s , its plans could only be partially implemented.
The park opened on May 24, 1876. From 1884 to 1918 a funicular went up, the Funiculaire du Mont Royal . A tram line then opened up the park until 1959 . The Mont Royal Cross was erected near the summit in 1924 and the Mont Royal transmission tower in 1952 . In order to cope with the global economic crisis , the city had various job creation measures carried out in the park: the Chalet du Mont-Royal was built in 1932, and the Lac aux Castors in 1938 .
Extensive clearing in the 1950s caused increased erosion, which is why over 60,000 new trees were planted from 1960. The first sculpture symposium in North America was held in the park in 1964 . In 1987 the park was placed under nature and monument protection. Extensive renovation work took place between 1992 and 1997. They included the restoration of paths, viewing terraces, stairs and paths as well as the replanting of trees and bushes. Severe winter storms in January 1998 caused considerable damage.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Registre of aires protégées. Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs, 2002, accessed on September 1, 2011 (French).
- ↑ a b c La petite histoire du mont Royal. Les amis de la montagne, accessed September 1, 2011 (French).
- ^ Mount Royal, Montreal, Quebec. www.fredericklawolmsted.com, accessed September 1, 2011 .
- ↑ Remembering the Mount Royal Funicular. (No longer available online.) Spacing Montréal, February 15, 2008, archived from the original on August 20, 2011 ; accessed on September 1, 2011 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 45 ° 30 ′ 14.4 " N , 73 ° 35 ′ 21.1" W.