From time to time, as we explored the only fortified city in Canada, my husband would exclaim, “I hate museums!” Of course, in Quebec City one does not have to go to any museums to see ancient monuments and relics dating back hundreds of years.
Quebec City is one of only a few places in Canada designated by UNESCO as part of the world’s heritage sites considered to be of outstanding universal value according to criteria drawn up by the World Heritage Committee. A distinction is made in selecting sites: most Canadian UNESCO sites are natural sites, rather than cultural sites.
UNESCO states: “[Quebec City] is the only North American city to have its ramparts together with the numerous bastions, gates, and defensive works which still surround Old Quebec. The Upper Town, built on the cliff, has remained the religious and administrative centre, with its churches, convents and other monuments like the Dauphine Redoubt, the Citadel, and Chateau Frontenac. Together with the Lower Town and the ancient districts, it forms an urban ensemble which is one of the best examples of a fortified colonial city.”
