This text is part of the special Museums section
Museum of the Hospitallers of the Hôtel-Dieu de MontréalComposed of a monastery, a hospital, a garden, a crypt and three chapels, the conventual complex of the Hospitallers is still today an essential element of the landscape of the Plateau-Mont-arrondissement. Royal and the Mount Royal protected area. Discover the history of the city’s first hospital, Hôtel-Dieu, and that of the hospital nuns of Saint-Joseph, a community of pioneer women who developed the foundations of our health system in Montreal, but also elsewhere in Canada. Also rediscover a key figure in Montreal, Jeanne Mance, historical figure and woman of action. Through the permanent exhibition of the museum, experience the evolutions of medicine, the emergence of the nurse figure and the health crises that have hit the Quebec metropolis. An immersive experience to understand the evolution of the Quebec health system and the little-known history of these exceptional women.
Gardens of Light at the Montreal Botanical Garden
Each year, the Botanical Garden puts on its clothes of light. Visitors are thus invited to discover its three cultural gardens from a completely unusual angle. This year, Jardins de lumière is renewing itself by offering a new immersive journey and a First Nations Garden like you’ve never seen it before. Howl at the moon with the wolves to raise the night star, stroll to the sound of the flute in the pine forest of the Japanese Garden, meditate on the words of Joséphine Bacon and let yourself be swept away by the magic of the First Nations garden, then marvel at the lanterns in the Chinese Garden. A spellbinding journey in the moonlight.
The Gardens of Light. An ode to the moon will be held until October 31.
Chateau Dufresne
In the heart of the Hochelaga district, historic cradle of the city of Montreal, Château Dufresne stands out. The familiar industrial buildings of the east of the island give way here to a building that is more than a century old. Behind its elegant Beaux-Arts-inspired facade are the twin residences of its first occupants, the brothers Oscar and Marius Dufresne, two important figures of the French-speaking bourgeoisie of Montreal at the beginning of the last century. The visitor plunges into the heart of the history of Quebec, but also of Canada. Today, we recognize the historical heritage importance of the place, which falls within a period that goes far beyond that of the time of the Dufresne family. Due to the cultural events that took place there, the Château Dufresne became the theater of the Quiet Revolution on the cultural and museological level, which marks the passage of Quebec to modernity. A little-known pearl to discover that promises a unique experience.
Ecomuseum of the proud world
It is the story of workers, of their living environment, of their daily strategies to make ends meet. It is also the great economic history with the successive periods of industrialization and then of deindustrialization that shaped the destiny of the popular classes of Montreal. This is how we can define the Écomusée du fier monde.
By browsing the various rooms, the visitor immerses himself completely in this working-class setting of the 19th century. In the manner of Germinal from Zola or fromOdysseus by Joyce, the visitor becomes fully aware of the condition of these proletarians, mostly French-speaking, and of their fight for better living conditions. He then goes into a second room and discovers the deindustrialisation and decline of old Montreal neighborhoods. Several factories then migrate to new industrial zones, while others simply close their doors. Jobs are fewer, and the population is shrinking. This ecomuseum is an ode to the residents of south-central Montreal who do not let themselves be defeated and give themselves the means to act in their community. The space is transformed and sees its identity fragmenting, redefining itself. The district is now marked by knowledge and culture. The environment continues to reinvent itself.
Museum space in Rivière-des-Mille-Îles park
Located in Laval, the Espace muséal at Parc de la Rivière-des-Mille-Îles has everything to surprise. During his visit, the visitor should expect to learn more about the history and the different facets of the Mille Îles River. Divided into different sections, the exhibition offers a presentation of the river, its ecosystems as well as the different species found there. Always under a gaze guided by flora and fauna, the key themes of this exhibition are biodiversity, fishing, history, jazz, eco-citizenship as well as nautical activities. The presence of animators passionate about the river to answer all your questions is one of the major assets of the visit. In addition, the possibility of visiting the ecology laboratory and meeting its residents as well as the presence of screens and interactive games promote learning in a fun way for young and old children from 7 to 77 years old.
Quebec Biodiversity Center
Make the forest speak, hear its point of view on current environmental issues or on the evolution of its part of the country: the museum institution of the Center de la biodiversity du Québec has crystallized this idea in an interactive adventure, to both fun, scientific and artistic. At nightfall, small groups set off, a technological “branch” in hand, to travel nearly 2 km in the forest surrounding the museum, in the town of Bécancour, 15 minutes from Trois-Rivières. This experience is unique in Quebec, and the adventure addresses environmental issues with a playful, educational and artistic approach. Bringing together several multimedia works, this immersive tour aims to make the visitor aware of the Champlain Sea’s heritage on the biodiversity of the St.Lawrence Valley and make them understand that it is a vector of change. in current environmental issues.
Evoking a magical link between the past, the present and the future, this immersion in nature stimulates questions and exchanges between man, nature, fauna and flora. The circuit is an active evening experience that takes place outdoors on forest trails. It has a distance of 1.8 km and a voice-over guides visitors along the route.
Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier National Historic Site
The exhibition Power games, winner of the 2020 Excellence Award from the Société des musées du Québec, is the highlight of a visit to this museum in the heart of Old Montreal.
In a step back in time that immerses us in the heart of the debates surrounding Confederation, the exhibition not only introduces us to population movements and the power games that take place there, but it also allows us to participate in them. Visitors are invited to take a stand, discuss with the founding fathers and compare their vision to that of the Victorian era.
As a backdrop: the historic site linked to this event, a cramped, over a century-old house with multiple vocations. Embellished with playful and interactive digital devices, the space does not offer artefacts, but a host of skillfully orchestrated manipulations. From the outset, the institution wanted to encourage the sharing of inclusive stories, which reflect the diversity of points of view on history. A complex story that the recourse to immersion, to play, to interaction makes it possible to grasp in a concrete way. A return to the very roots of Canada and to Quebec’s place at the heart of it.