Cultural and historical heritage

A jewel set amidst the St. Lawrence River, Parc Jean-Drapeau is undoubtedly one of Montreal’s most precious assets. Come discover the riches of our cultural heritage. 

When the French surrendered to the British in 1760, it was on Île Sainte-Hélène that General Lévis ordered all his battalions to burn the regimental flags. There too, in 1775, British Governor Guy Carleton confronted the American invaders. In about 1820, the site began to take on strategic importance for protecting the country and important military facilities were built. Many of these are still in existence and have been restored.

More recently, Île Sainte-Hélène and Île Notre-Dame have been thoroughly remodeled and have helped define Montreal’s image on the international scene. Expo 67 became a focus for world attention, with its great success reflecting the caliber of what it offered the world. Over the course of just one summer, 50 million visitors roamed the islands that were transformed for the occasion into a microcosm of human civilization. Next came the Games of the 21st Olympiad, which prompted the construction of an Olympic Basin on Île Notre-Dame, then the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, the International Floralies, major international exhibitions at the Palais de la Civilisation, the Montreal International Fireworks Competition and the XIth FINA World Aquatic Championships. With the success of these major events bringing life to the islands, Parc Jean-Drapeau has been Montreal’s international showcase for more than 40 years.

Events that have shaped our culture

The 1967 World’s Fair – Expo 67
Imagine a place where people all over the world are invited to come and share the beauty their culture offers! For Montreal, the 1967 World’s Fair was truly a window on the world.

The Montreal Olympic Games and the Olympic Basic
The Olympic Basin was created on Île Notre-Dame for the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games to host rowing and sprint canoeing and kayaking. Measuring 2.2 kilometres in length, this basin remains the only man-made facility of its kind in North America.

The Montreal International Floralies
In 1980, Montreal was named host for the International Floralies – a first in North America! Paradise came to Île Notre-Dame as participating countries outdid themselves, competing in creativity and technique to impress the thousands of visitors who left the island amazed by their floral displays.

XIth FINA World Aquatic Championships 2005
From July 16 – 31, 2005 the FINA World Aquatic Championships came to North America for the first time. The best aquatic athletes representing 160 countries came to Montreal to compete in the various disciplines: water polo, synchronized swimming, swimming, and diving. The Complexe aquatique de l'île Sainte-Hélène underwent major renovations for the Championships, including the restoration of the Pavilion des Baigneurs and the construction of three new swimming pools built using an innovative concept of hybrid pools. Summer 2006 marked the opening of this magnificent complex that includes a recreational pool open to the public as well as a diving pool and competition pool available to swimming and diving clubs for training and competition use.