Old Montreal

Vieux- Montréal ( Old Montreal English ) is the Old Montreal. It goes back to the 17th century and is located in the Arrondissement Ville- Marie. In the south of Vieux -Montreal is sufficient to Rue McGill, in the West Ruelle de la Fortification, in the north of the Rue Berri and in the east to Saint Lawrence River. The government of Quebec introduced the old town as arrondissement historique ( Historic District ) under protection; included also is the Old Port of Montreal.

History

Samuel de Champlain set up in 1611 a temporary fur trading post. As the site he chose a promontory at the mouth of the river Petite Rivière in the St. Lawrence river, Pointe-à- Callière, the. At the same place ended in 1642 some 40 French colonists under the leadership of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and founded on behalf of the Société Notre- Dame de Montréal, the settlement Ville-Marie. 1663 was the fundamental rule over the Sulpizianerorden. The local religious chief François Dollier de Casson undertook extensive surveys in 1672 and established a binding street grid. One of the first roads surveyed include the Rue Notre -Dame, the Rue Saint -Paul and Rue Saint -Jacques. Buildings from this era are the Hôtel- Dieu de Montréal, the Vieux Séminaire de Saint- Sulpice Church and the parish church of Notre -Dame. The traditional building material is gray limestone quarried in quarries in the northern part of the Ile de Montréal.

After the city had been fixed in 1687 with a wooden palisade, originated 1717-1738 under the direction of the royal architect Gaspard -Joseph de Chaussegros Léry the Montreal city walls. They were up to 6.4 meters high and 3.5 kilometers long; their course essentially corresponds to the limit of today's Vieux- Montréal. From 1804 to 1817 the city walls were torn down, as more residents moved out of the walled part of the suburbs. Archaeologists in the 1990s, around 250 meter section of the park Champ de Mars, the former parade, free.

The conquest of New France by the British in 1760 had on the architecture first, no special effects. By the end of the 18th century continued to dominate French-influenced architectural styles. On May 18, 1765 on April 11, 1768 a devastating fire destroyed nearly half of the building. Another great fire destroyed on June 6, 1803 including the prison, the church and the outbuildings of the Jesuits. The city acquired the land vacated and set on a marketplace a, called the Place Jacques -Cartier was awarded in 1845. Political causes had a fire on 25 April 1849 as the Parliament of the Province of Canada decided to all victims of the rebellions of 1837, including the former insurgents, to compensate them for their losses, there were protests on the part of the Anglophone conservatives. An angry crowd stuck after two days of street fighting, the Marché Sainte -Anne, the provisional parliament building on fire, which was completely destroyed.

The British influence on the architecture adopted in the course of the 19th century steadily, due to the Anglophone dominance in the economy. The headquarters of the major financial institutions and insurance companies were established mainly on the Rue Saint -Jacques. The preferred style was the neoclassicism, while the Gothic Revival came for public buildings mainly used. Important buildings of this period are the old Palace of Justice, the Old Customs House, the Marché Bonsecours and the Notre- Dame de Montréal. The Town Hall (Hôtel de Ville) was the only new buildings of importance in the second half of the 19th century, whose style was influenced French.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the economic importance of the old town continued to grow. Outstanding commercial buildings built particularly in the edge region, such as the first stock exchange, the Tour de la Banque Royale or the Édifice Aldred. A turning point in 1929 brought the Great Depression. The relocation of port facilities further downstream led to many trading companies moved away from the old town and left behind numerous offices and warehouses unused. This neglect effect intensified in the postwar period, and the financial sector gradually withdrew from the old town and to the west settled in newly emerging skyscrapers.

Various city planners considered the sclerosed and scarcely populated old town increasingly as an anomaly. Guided by the ideal of a car-friendly city, they sought to widen the roads, which would have had the demolition of many historical buildings to the episode. As an elevated urban motorway was planned along the riverbank, stir in the population resistance. Led by the Dutch town planner Sandy van Ginkel, the authorities could be convinced to relocate the proposed highway in the underground. In 1964, the old town was found to be arrondissement historique ( Historic District ) under protection. This measure had numerous restorations result, abandoned buildings have been revived with offices and homes. In addition, Vieux- Montréal has developed into a popular tourist destination.

Attractions

In the northwest:

• Champ -de- Mars
• Cour Municipale de Montréal (1912-1913)

In the center:

• Place d'Armes, is surrounded by: Building of the Banque de Montréal ( 1847)
• Édifice New York Life (1887-1889)
• Édifice Aldred (1929-1931)
• Notre- Dame de Montréal (1824-1829) Basilica
• Vieux Séminaire de Saint- Sulpice (1684-1687)

To the north- east:

• Palais de Justice (1971 ) Édifice Lucien- Saulnier (1856 )
• Édifice Ernest- Cormier (1925 )
• Place Vauquelin

• Nelson's Column (1809 )

On the North East:

• George -Étienne Cartier House ( 1848)
• Place Viger (1898 )
• Gare Dalhousie (1883-1884)

In the East:

• Louis -Joseph Papineau - House ( 1785 )
• Maison Pierre du Calvet (1770-1771)
• Chapel of Notre -Dame-de -Bon- Secours (1771 ) Musée Marguerite - Bourgeoys

To the south:

• Place d' Youville Centre d' histoire de Montréal
• Hôpital des Sœurs Grises ( 1765 )
• Place de la Grande Paix de Montréal

• Musée Pointe -à- Callière
• Place Royale
• Old Customs House (1836-1838)

Traffic

By Vieux- Montréal to many bus lines of the Société de transport de Montréal. On the western edge are the metro stations Champ -de- Mars, Place - d'Armes and Square - Victoria. From there, the Montreal underground city can be reached at the city center. In the summer months run from the Old Ferry crossing over the St. Lawrence River after Longueuil, additionally there is a network of bicycle paths. Cobbled streets and on circulating carriages lift the historic flair of the old town out in addition.