Ottawa - Parliament Hill / Rideau Canal

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Description

The Parliament Buildings, in all their splendor of Victorian Gothic sandstone, are quite an imposing sight on their 50m/165ft high hill looking out over the Ottawa River, and, with the high-rise towers that have grown up around them of late, seem to frame the city skyline.

Hobbies & Activities category: Region, quarter of a major city

Parliament Hill / Rideau Canal Highlights

Bytown Museum (Old Commissariat)

The Bytown Museum presents the history of Ottawa and Bytown (the original name for Ottawa) in the oldest stone building (1827) still standing in Ottawa. While the building of the Rideau Canal took

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Conference Centre

The splendid Conference Centre in front of the Château Laurier was actually Ottawa's central station until that was transferred to the south eastern edge of the town in the 1980s.

Houses of Parliament

The building of the Houses of Parliament was begun in 1860. In their Neo-Gothic style, they look as though they have been transplanted straight from Westminster. The part that was destroyed by fire in 1916 has been completely restored.

Centennial Flame

The Centennial Flame in front of the Houses of Parliament was lit in 1966 to commemorate the centenary of the Canadian Confederation.

Changing of the Guard

The Changing of the Guard takes place on the front lawn of the Houses of Parliament, weather permitting. The Ceremonial Guard of the Canadian Forces bring stirring military drill and music to Parliament Hill.

East Wing

The east wing houses the Government offices, some of them restored to look as they did in the 1870s in the time of Lord Dufferin and Premier John Macdonald.

Grounds

In front of the Parliament buildings extends an attractive grassed area which is patrolled in summer by members of the Canadian Mounted Police, looking very dashing in their Mountie uniform of

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West Wing

The MPs and Senators have their offices in the west wing of the Houses of Parliament, which also used to contain support services such as the print room and the employees' quarters.

Sculpture Garden

The sculpture in the grounds behind the Parliament building, from which there is a fine view across the Ottawa River, includes statues of Queen Victoria and several famous Canadian prime ministers

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Parliamentary Library

The Parliamentary Library, at the back of the building opposite the entrance, is a wonderfully furnished octagon that was untouched in the 1916 fire. Its beautifully paneled interior is very

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National Arts Centre

Set amidst lawns, in themselves a kind of sculpture park, the National Arts Center, the cultural "pulsating heart" of Ottawa, has three auditoria famous for their acoustics. Leading national and

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Parliament Buildings

The two houses of Parliament, the House of Commons and the Senate, are in the buildings on either side of the Peace Tower, and can be visited, as part of a guided tour, along with Confederation

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Peace Tower

The Peace Tower (glockenspiel with 53 bells), was built in 1927 to commemorate the Canadian dead of the First World War.

It is part of the Parliament Buildings and impossible to miss. This tower

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Rideau Centre

Ottawa's latest grand mall, the Rideau Center, is an ultra-modern complex of shopping arcades, cinemas, restaurants and conference rooms, on what was railway land behind the former station.

River Walk

Below Parliament Hill there is a really lovely walk that runs alongside the Ottawa River.

Supreme Court of Canada

Canada's Supreme Court is to the south-east of the Parliament and has a glistening green roof. Built in 1875, it also has a good view of the Ottawa River.

The Supreme Court interprets the Canadian

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Address

Library of Parliament
Information Service
Parliament Hill
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A9
Canada
Phone 1 (613) 992-4793
Fax 1 (613) 992-1273

http://www.parl.gc.ca