Montreal: History, Interesting Places and Amazing Facts

Many Montreal residents are convinced that there is simply no better place on Earth.

Montreal (Canada) is an important cultural, economic center and the largest French-speaking city in America. It exists since 1642 year. So where is Montreal? What area does it occupy? Let`s find it first!

Montreal On the World Map

Montreal is a beautiful city in the huge province of Quebec, which is located on the picturesque St. Lawrence River. The city received its name from the mountain Mont-Royal (from the French – “Royal Mountain”), at the foot of which it was founded.

In Montreal, the aerospace, pharmaceutical, gaming and film industries are well developed. Until the 70s the city owned the status of the economic capital of its country, but later it gradually moved to Toronto.

As you know, at once two official languages ​​are fixed in the constitution of the parliamentary monarchy called Canada. Montreal is fluent in French (about 67% of residents) and in English (about 18%). To date, Montreal is one of the five largest French-speaking cities on the planet.

The Face And Spirit of the City: 5 Interesting Facts

Montreal is an amazing and unusual city, even by the standards of Canada. The following facts eloquently speak about its interesting uniqueness:

• The city flag contains four different symbols: a rose, a lily, a clover and a thistle. All of them are floral emblems of the first settlers of Montreal (English, French, Irish and Scots).
• In 2006, UNESCO named Montreal the world’s “city of design.”
• The city is the second in the Western Hemisphere in terms of the number of cafes and restaurants per capita (after New York).
• Every year, there are several dozens of international festivals in Montreal (jazz, beer, festival of lights and others). All of them collect a lot of tourists from all over the world, which implements a significant inflow of money into the city treasury. Festivals are held at a very high level and every year they offer visitors a unique and large-scale show program.
• In the list of twin cities of Montreal there are 16 world capitals! Among them there are  Paris, Rome, Brussels, London, Dublin, Bucharest and others.

History Of Montreal

Modern Montreal is a major financial, economic and information center of the country. High-speed motorways connect it with other important centers of North America – Toronto and New York.

When did Montreal come into being? Canada, as is known, began to be actively colonized by Europeans in the beginning of the XVII century. In 1642, there was a little city founded, which later became a major metropolis. Montreal grew up on an island that was discovered in 1535 by the French traveler Jacques Cartier. Before that, there was a village of Indians of the Ashlag on the island.

Montreal was planned as a center for the Christianization of local indigenous peoples. But this process was not very smooth. A bloody war between the French colonialists and the Indians lasted more than half a century. Only in 1701 the peace with the Indians of Canada was concluded.

In the XIX century, the era of industrialization of the economy begins. At this time the city was developing rapidly. Over a 100-year period, its population has grown more than a hundred times. Basically, due to the influx of villagers and migrations of Europeans into the city. In the mid-twentieth century, the number of Montreal residents exceeded one million. In the 1960s, the highest skyscrapers in Canada were built and the metro line was laid.

Montreal: Interesting Places And Museums

The city of Montreal has no shortage of sights, museums and monuments. There is something to see for the tourist. If you want to invite a girl from a Meetwife.com or other dating site to romantic and at the same time modern place, visiting Montreal is the best choice. The old town (the historical center) is decorated with beautiful architecture – unusual and very colorful. You can safely study the history of its development on the architecture of Montreal.

The most beautiful building in the city can rightfully be considered the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Montreal. This grandiose Gothic cathedral was erected not long after the founding of Montreal, in 1672. Two symmetrical towers of the basilica dominate the city. Their height reaches 70 meters.

The Bonsecours market is another interesting architectural and historical landmark in Montreal. The two-story building was built in the colonial era. Initially, it housed the city hall, today it performs commercial functions.

Montreal is not only about a stunning ancient architecture, but also a large number of magnificent museums. Thus, lovers of history and archaeology will be very interested in visiting the Redpath Museum. Here are hundreds of exhibits: from petrified relic plants and to the remains of ancient animals that inhabited this region.