Ottawa is home to all the major branches and authorities of Canada, the largest scientific and cultural centers, you can find attractions, theaters, galleries, museums, parks, gardens, etc.
Top 5 attractions in Ottawa
The city of Ottawa is located in the province of Ontario and is the Canadian capital. The city was founded relatively recently – in the 20s of the 19th century. At that time, a huge migrant camp was formed in these places, building the famous Rideau Canal.
In the mid-19th century Ottawa was given city status, its first name was Baytown. And a decade later, it became the capital of Canada. Further, Ottawa boomed as the industrial center of North America. Today it is rapidly developing tourism.
Welcome to Ottawa!
Museum of Civilization
In Canada, it is also called the Museum of History, It is located in the city of Gatineau, near Ottawa. The museum opened in the mid-19th century as a small exhibition hall, and a quarter century later, the assembled collection moved to the Victoria Memorial in Ottawa.
In the 1980s, the Canadian authorities decided to build a separate mansion in Gatineau to house the collections of this museum, which had already received its present name: the Museum of Civilization. In the late ’80s, he moved into a newly constructed building.
Here you can learn about the history of Canada’s indigenous people from the Bronze Age to the present day, the history of the country’s colonization, etc. A large part of the exhibits is dedicated to Canadian artists and sculptors, poets and writers, military and businessmen, etc.
Parliament Hill
In the mid-19th century, after the provinces of Ontario and Quebec merged, the question arose about the place of the capital. Even a “mobile” capital was suggested, but it would have cost the country dearly. British Queen Victoria finally settled the dispute by choosing Ottawa.
Ottawa won because. is located exactly in the middle between Upper and Lower Canada. A few years later, construction began on a hill by the Ottawa River on a complex of government buildings. And the hill itself became known as Parliament Hill.
At the center of the government complex towered the Victoria Tower. After its completion, the government sat in the Tower, the rest of the complex being built for many more decades. In the early 20th century, the Victoria Tower burned down and was replaced by the Peace Tower.
Nature Museum
This museum is located in a building called the Victoria Memorial. The Museum of Nature was opened in the 1990s. It began with the famous collection of rocks and minerals collected back in the 19th century by the Geological Survey.
In addition, here you can see a collection of fossil animal remains: ancient reptiles, including. dinosaurs, the first mammals, fish, as well as fossil plants, fungi, pollen, and spores. Schoolchildren and students often come here.
The zoological collection fascinates even the scientists, you can see different types of ringworms, molluscs, insects, parasites. Vertebrates are represented by a variety of mammals, birds and fish.
National Gallery
It is one of Canada’s largest art museums and was founded in the 1980s. At various times his collections have been housed in the Canadian Supreme Court on Parliament Hill, the Victoria Memorial, etc.
It was only a century after its opening that the museum found its own building. Today it has collections of paintings and sculptures by American and Canadian artists. There are also beautiful works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Picasso, Van Gogh and others.
In the museum, the works of Renaissance masters are on public display. Of great interest to the public is a huge sculpture of a spider, standing in the square near the National Gallery by the famous American sculptor Louise Bourgeois.
The Church of St. John the Baptist. Brigids
It is a former Catholic church and today houses the Irish Cultural Center or St. Joseph’s Center for the Arts. Brigid. In the mid-19th century there was only one Catholic basilica in Ottawa, visited by both local English and French people.
At the end of the 19th century, the French built their own cathedral, which was consecrated in honor of St. Joseph. Brigid. However, about 10 years ago the Archbishop of Ottawa decided to close the church due to the small number of parishioners and insufficient funds.
The building was sold for half a million Canadian dollars, renovated, and the new owners housed the aforementioned cultural center. Today it often hosts meetings, meetings, exhibitions, concerts, plays, and even weddings.
