Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site

Louisbourg Fortress, or "la Forteresse de Louisbourg", is Canada's most famous historical reconstruction, the prototype of a "Living History Museum" offering visitors an opportunity to experience at first hand the rigors of mid 18th c. life on the far from hospitable, frequently mist-shrouded, east coast of Canada. Throughout the main tourist season appropriately costumed "townspeople" - servants, soldiers, merchants, maids and fishermen - re-enact the arduous daily round of those times. Two restaurants serve specialty dishes prepared from old recipes.

The Forteresse de Louisbourg, modeled on those built by Vauban, is surrounded by a wall with towers and bastions, and encompasses more than forty buildings. The town, of which seven blocks of houses were rebuilt, was right on the water, so that ships could moor there. The most luxurious buildings are in the "Bastion du Roi", and these were occupied by the French King's representative who was both Governor and Commandant. The ordinary soldiers' barracks, in which several had to share a room, were simply furnished. Among the numerous service facilities were a bakery, stores, a smithy, etc. The entrance to the fort is via the Porte Dauphine, close to the Armoury, and there is a museum by the Bastion du Roi.