Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris



Page:« 1 2  All on one page»

Montreal – the city of Mary

Montreal is the second-largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris and it has also been ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.

The second-largest city in Canada and the largest city in the province of Quebec was originally called Ville-Marie (Mary’s City) and came to be known as Montreal only by the end of the 17th century. The name is derived from Mount Royal, the three-head hill at the heart of the city.

Montreal lies at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. The port at the Saint Lawrence Seaway is the river gateway that stretches from the Great Lakes into the Atlantic Ocean. Montreal is bordered by the Riviere des Prairies on the north and Saint Lawrence on the south.

Montreal lies at the junction of several climatic regions and therefore has a varied climate. It snows on average more in Montreal, than in Moscow! Summer might be sunny but is also the wettest season making it humid too. The coldest month of the year is January and due to wind chill, the perceived temperature can be much lower than the actual temperature.

Historical overview:

Archeological evidence shows us that various nomadic native tribes had lived on the island of Montreal for at least 2,000 years before the arrival of Europeans, including the St. Lawrence Iroquoians. They established the village of Hochelaga at the foot of Mount Royal.

1535 – Jacques Cartier visits Hochelaga and names it Mont Royal, claiming the St. Lawrence Valley for France.

1608 - French explorer Samuel de Champlain reported that the local settlements had disappeared altogether supposedly due to inter-tribe wars, European diseases, and out-migration. Champlain, known as the father of New France, founded a permanent French settlement in Quebec City.

1642 – Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve, on a mission to convert the Indians to Christianity, establishes Ville-Marie and erects a wood cross on Mount Royal.

1670 – The Hudson Bay Company is formed initiating an economic war between France and England for fur trade profits in Quebec.

1716 – French authorities build a 6.4 m high wall around Montreal that was eventually completed 20 years later.

1721 – A large scale fire breaks out prompting all buildings within the city henceforth to be built of stone.

1759 – British General Jeffrey Amherst marches into Montreal.

1760 – Pierre Francois de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal surrenders the city to the British army under Jeffrey Amherst during the French and Indian War.

1763 - The Treaty of Paris ended the Seven Years’ War and ceded eastern New France to the Kingdom of Great Britain.

1801-1820 – The walls surrounding Montreal are demolished and the stone used in new buildings

1828 – Cholera epidemic strikes in Montreal.

1832 – William IV gives royal assent to incorporate the city of Montreal.

1833 – The city adopts its coat of arms and the motto ‘Concordia Salus’ (prosperity through harmony).

1837 – Patriot’s rebellion is brutally suppressed.

1843 – Lachine Canal project is launched to double the depth of the canal. Workers strike after their pay is reduced and the army is called in resulting in Canada’s bloodiest labor confrontation.

1844 – Montreal becomes the capital of the Province of Canada but loses the status in 1849 when a Tory mob burnt down the Parliament building.

1847 – Immigrants arrive from Ireland to escape the potato famine. They are quarantined. Many die.

1852 – Great Montreal Fire destroys 1,100 homes.

1967 – Montreal hosts the World Exposition (EXPO ’67); first metro lines are open to public; the Louis-Hippolyte Fontaine Tunnel is inaugurated.

1972 – The largest labor strike in Canadian history.

1976 – Montreal Olympics

2002 – Montreal merges with the 27 surrounding municipalities on the Island but the move proves unpopular, and several former municipalities vote to leave the newly unified city. A de-merger took place in 2006, leaving 15 municipalities on the island, including Montreal.

2006 - The city was recognized by the international design community as a UNESCO City of Design, one of the three world design capitals.

Page:« 1 2  All on one page»