Quebec city: population, climate, places of interest

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The city of Quebec is the capital of the province of the same name in Canada. Once these lands were called New France, and to this day they are the French-speaking part of the country. Those who wish to move here permanently should learn not only English, but also French.

New France

This name was inherent in the territory of North America, which was in the possession of France from 1534 to 1763. Although as early as 1534 Cartier declared Canada the property of the French crown, real colonization began in 1604, and in 1605 the first city of Port Royal was founded by Samuel de Champlain.

In 1608 he founded the city of Quebec, which became the main center of New France in Canada. The history of this area began with the fact that King Henry 4 gave the rights to trade in furs in Canada to merchants from Rouen.

It was they who appointed Samuel de Champlain as their representative to negotiate and cooperate with local Indian tribes. When the city of Quebec began to be built, the fur trade began to be conducted in it.

In 1642, Montreal was founded - a port city, which today is the largest in the Canadian province of Quebec. It is the largest province in Canada, covering almost 17% of its territory. Compared to European countries, it covers an area equal to three France.

Province of Quebec

Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and the province of Ontario, the land of Quebec covers an area of 1,542,000 km2. It is the second most populous Canadian province. The largest city is Montreal, the capital is Quebec, which is home to more than 700,000 people.

The official language of this area is French, which is considered native to 80% of the population of this area. Her constitutional rights include opportunities to:

to independently make laws regarding the property and criminal rights of their citizens;
administer justice on your own;
build our own education and he alth systems.

With such constitutional freedoms, the separatists present here demand its separation from Canada. In referendums held on this issue, by a majority of votes, the city of Quebec with the entire territory remains in the federation. The main industries developing in this area are aerospace, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, metallurgy and information technology.

Quebec

Quebec is a city in Canada, which is the economic and administrative center of the province of the same name. The old part of the city is located where it was founded - on a large cliff hanging over the St. Lawrence.

Jean Cartier, who declared these lands the property of the French crown, gave the name "diamond" to the cliff because of the inclusions in the rock of many crystals. Once upon a time, the fur trade flourished here for 60 years. Although many farmers abandoned the cultivation of the land and became "forest tramps," as fur hunters were then known, furniture, shipbuilding, weaving, and other crafts flourished in Quebec.

Due to the opposition of the local Indians, who often attacked the city of Quebec, its population grew very slowly. Only by the end of the 17th century did it begin to expand and strengthen, which had a positive effect on the increase in the number of emigrants from France who went to Canada in search of a better life.

Today Quebec is a center for the development of high technologies, tourism and the administrative center of the country's largest province.

Downtown

From the point of view of travelers, although beautiful, modern Quebec (city) is unremarkable. Interesting places are in its old districts.

The central part of the city has become a UNESCO heritage, as it is here that granite buildings of the 17th-18th centuries have been preserved. The famous Frontenac Castle is also located here, from the windows of which you can see the picturesque banks of the St. Lawrence River.

The old part of the city is divided into 2 districts surrounded by a city wall. Bass-Ville is located at the foot of the Cap Diaman mountain and is an old French-style streets filled with boutiques and cafes. Once it was a district of merchants andmerchants.

Haut-Ville with its cobblestone streets and architecture is reminiscent of old European cities. Here, horse-drawn carriages, street cafes, an ancient monastery and museums await tourists. The center of Haute-Ville is occupied by a five-pointed fortress, the largest in North America.

No less interesting is Notre Dame Cathedral, built in 1647, and you can stay for the night at the beautiful Chateau Frontenac hotel, located in the castle, which is a copy of the original, standing in the Laura Valley.

From one area to another can be reached by funicular.

Upper Quebec

The decoration of the upper city is the old castle of Chateau Frontenac, which has retained its former beauty and grandeur to this day. Built in Gothic Renaissance style. Its towers and walls are visible from anywhere in the city.

The castle looks like the palace of a fairy princess, and its conversion into an extravagant hotel has made this place very popular with tourists. The interior decoration and tapestries are perfectly preserved from the 19th century.

Immediately behind the hotel is Duferin Terrace, near which there is a monument to the man who founded Quebec. The city (photos confirm this) remembers and honors the memory of Samuel de Champlain, the first unofficial governor of the province. Quebecers love to look out from the terrace at the picturesque banks of the river. Equally beautiful is the nearby Governor's Park.

Army Square used to host military gatherings, executions and public punishments. Today, there is a fleet museum and a monument to the Faith, dedicated to the activities of Catholic missionaries in Canada. In the northern part of the square, paintings and crafts by local artists and artisans are exhibited. Nearby cafés and 18th-century buildings are reminiscent of Paris at that time.

No less interesting to visit is the Anglican Church of the Holy Trinity and the Ursuline Monastery.

Lower City

If you go down the "dizzying staircase" from the Duferin terrace, you can get to lower Quebec. Once it was here that the first settlement founded by de Champlain was located. It consisted of several wooden houses and a warehouse where furs were stored.

In the lower city there is Montmorency Park and the Place Royale, where in 1686 a bust of Louis 14 was erected, replaced in our time by its copy.

One of the most famous sights of this place is the old church of Notre Dame, built in 1688 in honor of the victories of the French army over the British.

In the museum of antique furniture and utensils you can get acquainted with the life of the inhabitants of the city of the 17th-19th centuries. The Museum of Civilization is dedicated to the activities and development of society since the founding of the French colony in Canada.

Citadel

Built by the French in 1750, the star-shaped fortress was supposed to protect the then few inhabitants of Quebec from the British. As the city grew, the need arose to expand the citadel, which was carried out in 1820 by the British, who sought to protect the population from attack. Americans.

Today it houses Canada's most elite military unit, the Royal 22nd Regiment. In the former gunpowder warehouse there is a museum of the famous regiment. Sights near the Citadel include the French Renaissance Houses of Parliament and the Grand Theater Québec.

Climate in Quebec

Unique is not only the history of this region or Quebec itself (city). The climate here is no less famous than the monuments of architecture.

It has extreme temperature fluctuations, long winters from September to April, and short, hot summers. It is the inhabitants of this province who know the concept of "freezing" rain, during which drops, falling to the ground, turn into "prickly" and sharp ice or small hail.

Also frequent in winter are temperature fluctuations from -30 to +8 degrees for several days. No less famous are the Quebec winds that blow here at any time of the year. While they soften the sweltering heat in summer, they are hard to resist in winter.

That's why the city authorities allocated funds to build an underground city connected by tunnels to the subway. Now, to go from the office to a restaurant or shops, you do not need to go through windy Quebec. The city, whose hotels hospitably await travelers all year round, is accessible to tourists underground.

Quebec Today

Sometimes it is difficult for tourists to understand Quebec is a city of which country? In English-speaking Canada, there is a huge French-speaking territory that has retained itsculture and identity since the development of the province by colonists from France.

Today, Montreal and Quebec, the two largest cities in this territory, are the concentration of cultural and economic values of these places. These lands have mountains, forests, islands and 130,000 bodies of water. This region, rich in natural resources, was preserved not only for the descendants of the colonists, but also for the indigenous population of Canada. In 50 villages located in the province, 11 Indian tribes live. Each of the villages is a tourist center where you can stop and "plunge" into the life of the indigenous people.