Champ de Mars, Montreal
Encyclopedia
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Urban park
An urban park, is also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space or municipal gardens , is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality...
in Old Montreal
Old Montreal
Old Montreal is the oldest area in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dating back to New France. Located in the borough of Ville-Marie, the area is bordered on the west by McGill St., on the north by Ruelle des Fortifications, on the east by Berri St. and on the south by the Saint Lawrence River...
quarter of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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Formerly a military parade ground, the park had previously been the site of Montreal's fortifications
The Citadel, Montreal
The Citadel of Montreal was a former fortress used to defend the city.Smaller than the one in Old Quebec, the Citadel was built by the French in 1690, with a cannon battery added in 1723....
, which were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century soon after Montreal City Hall
Montreal City Hall
The five-storey Montreal City Hall is the work of architects Henri-Maurice Perrault and Alexander Cowper Hutchison, and was built between 1872 and 1878 in the Second Empire style. It is located in Old Montreal, between Place Jacques-Cartier and the Champ de Mars, at 275 Notre-Dame Street East...
and the old courthouse were built. It had served as a municipal parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
until being restored as a park in 1980s. At that time, the foundations of Montreal's city walls were discovered and restored.
The site's name commemorates its former military purpose; Mars was the Roman god of war
Mars (mythology)
Mars was the Roman god of war and also an agricultural guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome. He was second in importance only to Jupiter, and he was the most prominent of the military gods worshipped by the Roman legions...
and campus Martius was a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
term for a military exercise ground. The walls now standing on site were built to show the location of the original walls used to protect the city.
The area is bordered by the Montreal City Hall, the old and new courthouses
Palais de justice de Montréal
The Palais de justice de Montréal at 1 Notre-Dame Street East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was completed in 1971. Though located in the Old Montreal historic district, it is a modernist structure, featuring the outdoor sculpture Allegrocube. The black metal and granite building is adjacent to the...
and the Champ-de-Mars Metro station
Champ-de-Mars (Montreal Metro)
Champ-de-Mars is a station on the Orange Line of the Montreal Metro rapid transit system, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal . It is located in Old Montreal in the borough of Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
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