A Montreal Montage: Gardens, Museums, and Modernism

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Montreal Skyline

Journeying north from New York State, a lot changes in an hour. Signs are posted in French, speed limits in kilometers, and even the sky seems a little bit more blue. Excusez-moi, I mean bleu. Welcome to Quebec, the Francophone province of Canada, and home of the beautiful city Montreal. It’s a challenge to describe the vast pleasures found in this culturally, ethnically and artistically diverse city, but here is a brief photomontage of three prominent features:

Gardens

The French love their outdoor spaces and are known for some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Any visitor to Paris gains a deep appreciation for the many outdoor spaces in the city. Public Squares, parks, and gardens are abundant in Paris and, typically, full of people enjoying them. (More about Paris' green spaces here.)

Likewise, visitors to Montreal will find an array of flowering beauty throughout the city, indicating its deep French roots. Due to the geographic location and long, intense winters, the Quebecois enjoy summer with great exuberance, reveling in every inch of planted space. Montreal’s Botanical Gardens are the most impressive display of plantings in the city; its 190 acres are home to an expansive arboretum and the striking Chinese and Japanese Gardens.

Montreal Botanical Gardens

Panorama Montreal Botanical Gardens

The Chinese and Japanese Gardens

Panorama Montreal Botanical Gardens: Chinese Gardens

Museums

Cities as diverse as Montreal are rich in museum-worthy subject matter. History, Music, Film, Contemporary Art: Montreal has a museum for every one, with more to boot. The buildings themselves are as impressive and artful as the contents inside. Here are a few that stand out:

Modernism

Montreal has hosted two world events that have left a modernist mark. The first was the 1967 World Expo. Its theme, "Man and his World," produced pavilions sponsored by multiple countries to reimagine the built environment for the future. Both Buckminster Fuller's giant geodesic dome and Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67 are still important modernist icons in the city today. Safdie is perhaps Canada's most celebrated architect and has produced impressive modern structures throughout the world. 

Additionally, Montreal hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics in the newly-built Olympic Park, boasting modern structures of grand proportions. The structures were originally built to house various sporting events, but were repurposed after the Olympics to house several museums and public spaces.

Moshe Safdie's Habitat 67

These are really just a taste of the multifaceted and eclectic charm Montreal offers, but there are many more charming and inspiring sights to see there!

What places do you like to visit when exploring a new city? Join the conversation below.

*Places and Perspectives is a blog devoted to exploring topics and images that inspire the sense of place. We always welcome suggestions of places readers want to learn about and see featured in our blog.