Louisbourg Attractions

Under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht which ended the War of the Spanish Succession, France was forced to cede Newfoundland and large tracts of Acadia to Britain, retaining only the Îsle Royale (now Cape Breton Island) and the Îsle St-Jean (now Prince Edward Island). These two islands became the hub of the exceptionally lucrative French cod fishing industry centered on the waters of the Grand Banks off Newfoundland. The port of Louisbourg was established by the French on the east side of the Îsle Royale in 1719, at which time the substantial fortifications were also built. All around Louisbourg long rows of wooden racks were constructed on which the cod were salted and dried before being exported as "klipfish". Trade with France, Québec, the islands of the Caribbean and parts of Newfoundland flourished. In 1745, the French having declared war on Britain, Louisbourg came under attack. Being difficult to defend on the landward side, it fell to the British after seven weeks. The 1748 Treaty of Aachen however returned Louisbourg to France. Ten years later the British again laid siege to the port, this time with a force of 16,000 men and 150 ships. On this occasion too Louisbourg held out for seven weeks. Afterwards the British razed the fortress walls to prevent the town from being fortified anew.

In 1961 Canada's federal government undertook the reconstruction of part of the Fortresse de Louisbourg. The result is that fortifications, the harbor, buildings, courtyards and gardens can today be seen very much as they appeared in 1740. In the course of the rebuilding archaeologists excavated the old foundation walls.