Old Montreal (or Vieux-Montréal in French) is the oldest area in Montreal, dating back to colonial times.

Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is usually thought of as being bounded to the west by McGill St., to the north by Saint Antoine St., to the east by Berri St., and to the south by the Saint Lawrence River.

History

Unlike many cities, we know precisely where the first townsite was located: on and adjacent to the present Place d'Youville, where the Pointe-à-Callière archeology museum now stands. Eventually, Montreal became a fortified city, with the city walls' former location marking the modern boundaries of Old Montreal.

Old Montreal used to be the city's downtown, with Saint James Street synonymous with the Canadian banking industry, much as Toronto's Bay Street is today. Until the disappearance of the streetcars, Place d'Armes was the city's main streetcar terminus.

As time went on, however, the business district moved northwest towards the more Anglophone parts of town, reaching its present location centred around Sainte Catherine Street south of Mount Royal. Through the mid-to-late twentieth century, the old city decayed. However, major urban renewal programs have resurrected its commercial and residential life while protecting its heritage.

Features

Old Montreal itself is a major tourist draw; with the oldest of its buildings dating to the 1600s, it is one of the oldest urban areas in North America.

In the eastern part of the old city, near Place Jacques-Cartier, are found such important buildings as Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours chapel, as well as preserved colonial mansions such as the Château Ramezay and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada. To the north of City Hall, the Champ de Mars preserves the foundations of Montreal's city walls, built in 1717 and pulled down in the early 19th century.

Further west, Place d'Armes is dominated by Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica on its southern side, accompanied by the 1684 Sulpician seminary, the oldest extant building in Montreal. The other sides of the square, however, are devoted to commerce; to the north is the Bank of Montreal building and to the west, the Aldred building and the 1888 New York Life building, the oldest skyscraper in Canada. The rest of Saint Jacques Street is lined with lofty old bank buildings from its heyday as Canada's financial centre.

The southwest of the old city contains important archeological remains of Montreal's first townsite, around Place d'Youville and Place Royale, and in the Pointe-à-Callière museum.

Finally, the old town's riverbank is completely taken up by the Old Port (Vieux-Port), whose maritime facilities are surrounded with a vast recreational space with a variety of museums and attractions.

The old city can be accessed via Champ-de-Mars, Place-d'Armes, and Square-Victoria metro stations.

External links

• Old Montreal — official site

Montreal landmarks

Buildings Biodome | Biosphere | Centre Bell | Canadian Centre for Architecture | Casino de Montréal | Complexe Desjardins | The Forum | Grande Bibliothèque du Québec | Habitat '67 | McCord Museum | Montreal Science Centre | Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica | Olympic Stadium | Palais des congrès de Montréal | Place des Arts | Place Ville-Marie | Redpath Museum | Saint Joseph's Oratory | Tour de la Bourse | Underground City | World Trade Centre Montreal