Biosphère
The Biosphère not to be confused with its Olympic counter part the Biodôme was created as a part of the 1967 world expo in Montréal. The America architect Buckminster Fuller, know specially for his work on geodesic domes (A view on cities, n.d.). The sphere’s measurements were 61 meters in height, a diameter of 76 meters, with retractable screens to shade visitors and about 1900 acrylic panel with steel pipes for support (A view on cities, n.d.). After the expo had come to an end the dome was later bought over by Environmental Canada for about $17.5 million (A view on cities, n.d.). The Biosphère was then transformed in to a museum about geographical and environmental concerns. The new Biosphère museum was re-opened in 1995.
The Biosphère not to be confused with its Olympic counter part the Biodôme was created as a part of the 1967 world expo in Montréal. The America architect Buckminster Fuller, know specially for his work on geodesic domes (A view on cities, n.d.). The sphere’s measurements were 61 meters in height, a diameter of 76 meters, with retractable screens to shade visitors and about 1900 acrylic panel with steel pipes for support (A view on cities, n.d.). After the expo had come to an end the dome was later bought over by Environmental Canada for about $17.5 million (A view on cities, n.d.). The Biosphère was then transformed in to a museum about geographical and environmental concerns. The new Biosphère museum was re-opened in 1995.
Parc du Mont-Royal (Mount-Royal Park)
The Mount-Royal Park was established in the 1876. The park had gotten it name from Jacques Cartier naming the mountain “Mount-Royal” in 1535. Frederick Law Olmsted the architect behind New York City’s Central Park was the mastermind behind Mount-Royal in Montreal. Mount-Royal measures about 200 hectares and with its highest point being about 234 meters from sea level Mount-Royal has the highest elevation in Montreal. In the winter these conditions are perfect for the avid snowboarders and skiers. All information: (Jackson, 2014 pg. 88-89).
Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montreal
What many Montrealers know as the “Heart of Montreal”, this historic cathedral first started off in 1642 as just a small chapel made up of wood. 15 years later in 1957 the church went under massive amounts of constructions with large expansions of the interior and exterior of the church. During the 1800s a new archeitect by the name Jame O’ Donnel wass commissioned to turn the church in to what we see today. Many new features were added to the church such as the west bell tower in 1841 and the east bell tower in 1843. In 1978 disaster struck. The church had caught on fire and had to cope with serious damage. After four years of repairs and rebuilding the church was reopened in 1982. The church is considered the center piece of montreal and has really come to honour the “New France” as this cathedral was inspired by the original Notre-Dame in France. All information: (Jackson, 2014 pg. 53).
Jardin Botanique
The Montreal Botanical Garden was founded by a former mayor of Montreal, Camillien Houde in 1931. The garden began planting between the years 1936-1939 and further greenhouses were installed around 1956. Although the garden had been around for much longer it did not actually gain much popularity until about 1970s and the 1980s due to increased funding from the municipal government and the University of Montreal. The Botanical Garden features gardens and plants from many cultures all over the world like Japanese and First Nations Gardens. All information: (Jackson, 2014 pg. 91).
For a full interactive map on all the interactions Montreal has to offer please follow this link:
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/montreal/interactive-map
Montreal also has many festival to offer year round such as Igloofest and the Montreal Chamber Music Festival. For a full list of festival details check out: http://www.montreal.com/tourism/festivals/