Old Port of Montreal

The Old Port ( Vieux- Port French, English Old Port ) is a touristic unused part of the port facilities in the Canadian city of Montreal. It extends over a length of two kilometers along the shores of the St. Lawrence River and is adjacent to the Old Town Montreal. The Old Port includes former piers, which are connected by a promenade.

Today's Port of Montreal, the largest inland port in North America is located downriver on.

History

The Old Port is closely connected with the history of the city. At the Pointe -à- Callière, which lies approximately in the center of the area, Samuel de Champlain set up in June 1611 a temporary fur trading post. French colonists founded on May 17, 1642 at the same location, the Fort Ville- Marie, which developed into the city of Montreal in the sequence.

For the growth of the city in the Old Port was during the next three centuries crucial. The most extensive expansion was undertaken in the 1890s, when the Canadian government had built several piers, warehouses, docks and wheat silos. The opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959 ushered in the decline of the Old Port - a development which in 1970 increased with the closure of the Lachine Canal. By moving down the river ended in 1976, the Port of the city center.

As of 1977, the federal government planned rehabilitation of the disused harbor area. 1981, a riverside park was created, also was removed six of the eight tracks of the port railway. The Société du Vieux- Port de Montréal began in 1989 a comprehensive area development plan to. In 1992, the Old Port on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the city of Montreal was released for tourist use, ten years later, the reopening of the Lachine Canal. Today, the Old Port is frequented annually by six million visitors.

Things to Do

On the rue de la Commerce, which lies parallel to the waterfront, numerous listed buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries. These include the pilgrimage chapel of Notre -Dame-de -Bon- Secours with the Musée Marguerite - Bourgeoys, the market hall Marché Bonsecours, Musée Pointe -à- Callière and the Old Customs House. More modern buildings are lower in the Tour de l' Horloge ( Clock Tower ) and the Science Museum Centre des sciences de Montréal, to which also belongs to an IMAX theater.

The Old Port is the scene of numerous events and festivals. These include the Festival Montréal en lumière, the Igloofest and the Matsuri Japon. In winter, a part of the site is used as a skating rink.