Montreal
Montreal is unique in North America, combining the New World modern with the romantic charm of historic districts and a European air Gallic lifestyle, evident in the cafes and the city’s dynamic nightlife.
Although skyscrapers downtown are testament of the economic influence of the second largest city of Canada, visitors are most likely attracted by the promise of rides in a cart on the cobbled streets of old town near the St. Lawrence River.
Montreal is on an island between Rivière des Prairies and Saint Lawrence River. When Jacques Cartier discovered the island in 1535, it was already inhabited. Until Paul de Chomedey arrived in 1642 to found the Ville-Marie, the first European colony has been already abandoned. Cross on the Mount Royal, which is visible from most of the city, marks the place where Maisonneuve planted a wooden cross to thank that the city was spared by the floods in the first winter.
French revolt against the British in the economy led to the “silent revolution” between 1950 and 1960, culminating in the crisis of 1970 and the referendum about royalty from 1980 to 1995.
As a result, French became the predominant language at work and a number of companies in Quebec have become active in global market forces. Approximately 65% of people claim that French is their native language, making Montreal the second most populous French-speaking city after Paris.
But in Montreal there is a cosmopolitan mix of immigrants around the world, who contributed to the rich cultural heritage and lively atmosphere in the city. This is most evident during one of the largest festivals in Montreal, International Festival of Jazz in Montréal, when tens of thousands of music fans fill the streets of every day.
Elegant buildings of Old Montreal, which was the heart of the city until the late nineteenth century, are now full of shops, bars, hotels and restaurants.
The best time to visit Montreal is summer, when even the nights are muggy and the whole city seems to spend. Autumn that reveals the leaves color is the right period to visit the Laurentians forest.
