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Parks Canada

Québec City, 400 years of remembrance

For more than a century, Parks Canada has worked to protect and enhance our cultural and natural heritage. These riches bear witness to our common identity, an irreplaceable collective treasure to be preserved so that present and future generations can discover it.

From the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes, the system of national historic sites under the responsibility of Parks Canada includes many sites closely linked with the history of the French presence in Canada, from 1608 to the present.

Among the most important sites in Québec City are:

• Cartier-Brébeuf Park, which commemorates the period in 1535–36, when Jacques Cartier and his companions wintered in the area.
• the Saint-Louis Forts and Châteaux, which among other things recall the memory of Champlain and those who succeeded him as head of the first permanent French settlement in Canada.
• the Fortifications, the only city walls still standing north of Mexico, an integral part of the historic district of Old Québec, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The site recalls the main colonial strongpoint built starting from 1608.

In addition, close to 400 sites, persons or events connected with the French presence are recognized as being of national historic importance and today are part of the big family of Canadian cultural treasures.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City, Parks Canada invites Canadians and visitors from around the world to three major encounters:

• The encounter of old and new worlds. The public will have access to the remains of the Saint-Louis forts and châteaux, residence of most of the governors for more than 200 years.
• The encounter of cultures and generations. Dufferin Terrace, Québec City's famous gathering place, is undergoing stabilization and reconstruction work for the greater enjoyment of the 4 million visitors who stroll there each year.
• The encounter with the world. After the 400th anniversary celebrations, the Espace 400e pavilion, located at Bassin Louise, will become in 2009 a Parks Canada discovery centre. It will present three major themes:
  • Immigration to Canada, for which Québec City has been the gateway for 400 years for more than 4 million people of different backgrounds.
  • The Saint Lawrence River, the vital route to the interior of America; its ecosystems, its physical, biological and cultural aspects.
  • The Parks Canada system, its parks, historic sites and marine areas, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada.

With the development of Espace 400e, leased for 2008 to the Société du 400e, Parks Canada is carrying out the commitment of the Government of Canada to make the Bassin Louise sector a legacy that, after the celebrations, will continue to bear witness to the spirit that filled it in 2008.

Test your knowledge

• Try the Québec City - 400 years of history on-line quiz.

Try the Québec City - 400 years of history on-line quiz.

Features

Watch out for

• Twilight concert at the Lévis Forts National Historic Site of Canada, August 16, 2008
• Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada ceremonies