3.4 Fortifications

Samuel de Champlain equipped his habitation with a defence system when the Québec post was first established. In the same spirit, in 1620, walls were built to mark out the first Fort Saint-Louis, higher up on the cliff. From 1690 to 1745, various military structures were built to form the first line of defence, enclosing the upper part of Québec. The structures incorporated the Saint-Louis and the Saint-Jean gates, among others. After the Conquest, these fortifications were the scene of the city’s final siege, in 1775. That year, revolutionary American troops led by Colonel Arnold and General Montgomery stormed Québec. The American soldiers were defeated; they retreated in June 1776. In the wake of these events, the British army began constructing a series of defensive structures, including wooden and earthen ramparts, redone in stone from 1786 to 1812. The final element in the defence plan, the citadel, was built between 1819 and 1832. Québec is the only North American city to still have the majority of its original defence system. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. Start the video Map of Place-Royale