Old Port of Montreal
Encyclopedia
Stretching for over two kilometres along the St-Lawrence River in Old Montreal
Old Montreal
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...
, the Old Port Of Montreal has been the social, economic and cultural soul of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
ever since early French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
rs used it as a trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
in 1611. It was here that the city and the port came to life more than 350 years ago.
The redevelopment of the city's Old Port took place in the early 1990s, under the direction of architects Aurèle Cardinal
Aurèle Cardinal
Aurèle Cardinal is a Quebec architect, urban planner and academic. In 2007, his plan for the Outremont campus of the Université de Montréal received the award of excellence for urban design from the Canadian Institute of Planners. Cardinal, who is a partner in Groupe Cardinal Hardy, conceived the...
and Peter Rose
Peter Rose (architect)
Peter Rose Peter Rose Peter Rose (b. Aug. 1, 1943, is an architect in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.Rose's best-known work to date is the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), which was designed by Rose with CCA founder Phyllis Lambert as consulting architect and Erol Argun as associate architect...
.
Today, the riverfront welcomes over seven million visitors per year. The historical Old Port offers Montrealers and visitors alike access to a wide variety of activities, including the Montréal Science Centre
Montreal Science Centre
The Montreal Science Centre is a science museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the King Edward Pier in the Old Port of Montreal. Established in 2000 and originally known as the iSci Centre, the museum changed its name to the Montreal Science Centre in 2002. The museum is managed by...
, with an IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
Theatre, and the Montreal Clock Tower
Montreal Clock Tower
Montreal Clock Tower is located in Quai de l'Horloge, originally called the Victoria Pier, in the Old Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.- Overview :...
. It offers riverfront access for walking, cycling, roller-blading, quadricycle, pedalo and Segway
Segway PT
The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing transportation machine invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway Inc. of New Hampshire, USA. The name "Segway" is a homophone of "segue" while "PT" denotes personal transporter....
rentals. It is also located at the eastern end of the Lachine Canal
Lachine Canal
The Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, running 14.5 kilometres from the Old Port of Montreal to Lake Saint-Louis, through the boroughs of Lachine, Lasalle and Sud-Ouest.The canal gets its name from the French word for China...
, which has itself been extensively refurbished as a popular destination for cycling, roller-blading and pleasure boating. Cultural events include the Festival Montréal en lumière, Igloofest
Igloofest
Igloofest is an annual outdoor music festival which takes place in Old Port of Montreal in Montreal, Canada. Co-produced by Piknic Electronik and the Quays of the Old Port, it began in January 2007 and now draws crowds in the tens of thousands every year.-"One-Piece" Contest:Every weekend, a...
and the Matsuri Japon festival.
The Old Port of Montreal changed its name to The Quays of the Old Port of Montreal in 2005. Every 2 years the Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
launches a new show from the Jacques Cartier Quay.
Shipping has been moved further east to the present Port of Montreal
Port of Montréal
The Port of Montreal, is a port located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on the St Lawrence river. It one of the largest inland ports in the world, it is the second busiest port in Canada , and it is one of the busiest ports in North America....
site, leaving the riverside area of Old Port adjacent to Old Montreal
Old Montreal
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...
as a recreational and historical area.
Management
The Old Port is managed by the Old Port of Montreal Corporation, a subsidiary of Canada Lands CompanyCanada Lands Company
Canada Lands Company Limited is an arms length, self-financing Crown corporation reporting to Parliament through the Honourable John Baird, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons...
, an arms length,self-financing Crown corporation
Crown corporations of Canada
Canadian Crown corporations are enterprises owned by the federal government of Canada , one of Canada's provincial governments or one of the territorial governments. Crown corporations have a long standing presence in the country and have been instrumental in the formation of the state...
reporting to the Parliament of Canada
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
through the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Although it is a subsidiary of Canada Lands, the Old Port reports directly to the government.
Management has rejected the Old Port as the site of a proposed Montreal Aerial Gondola.