La Citadelle
View of the fortifications of the Citadelle, with the Parliament Building behind |
The Citadelle is a military fort atop Cape Diamant, adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
The Quebec Parliament Building and many other provincial government buildings and several large hotels are also nearby, towering over this typically sunken or flat citadel, typical of late 18th century and early 19th century castrametation.
The star-shaped fortification was developed by the French engineer Vauban. Construction began in the 18th century under Louis de Buade, sieur de Frontenac, but was left unfinished until the War of 1812. The surviving buildings were built between 1820 and 1831 under the direction of the British colonel Elias Durnford.
The Quebec Conferences of 1943 and 1944, in which Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King discussed strategy for World War II, were held at the Citadelle.
The Citadelle is the home base of Le Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Forces. In addition to its use as a military installation, it is also an official residence of the Governor General of Canada, who by tradition resides there for several weeks out of the year. (The Governor General's primary official residence is Rideau Hall in Ottawa.)
See also: List of forts
