Last updated on December 20, 2023.

The Citadelle of Québec (La Citadelle de Québec) is a working military base located just outside of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Québec. The Citadelle is accessible via a short tunnel that leads to its entrance.

 

History

It was originally built in the 17th century as part of the protective walls of the city. The current fort was built between 1820 and 1831 by the British as protection from a possible attack by the United States.

Tunnel to the fort at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Tunnel to the fort
Entrance at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Entrance
Entrance at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Entrance

 

Guards

At the entrance are the guards of the Citadelle. The Changing of the Guard can be seen daily at 10am from the end of June until Labour Day (the first Monday in September).

Citadelle guard in Québec, Canada
Citadelle guard

 

Tours

The entrance leads to the gift shop, where tour tickets can be purchased. Guided tours are offered in French and English for CAD$18 (as of July 2023). Tours last about an hour and visit all of the main parts of the base including a museum and medal gallery.

 

Parade Ground

The tour began just outside the gift shop at the parade ground. The guide started with the history of the fort and described the building nearest to us, the kitchen. He also told us about the motto of Québec, “Je me souviens”, which means “I remember”. The motto is written in flowers on a small ridge with a cannon sitting above it. It was placed there to always remind of the glories, traditions, lessons, and even misfortunes of the past.

Parade ground at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Parade ground
Kitchen at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Kitchen
Je me souviens = I remember at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Je me souviens = I remember

 

Royal 22nd Regiment

Next, we walked to the old powder magazine (ancienne poudrière) built in 1750. It now houses the Museum of the Royal 22nd Regiment (Musée du Royal 22e Régiment). The Royal 22nd Regiment (Royal 22e Régiment) is a French-speaking Canadian regiment that has won significant battles for Canada and is know for its bravery. The Citadelle has been their home base since 1922.

Ancienne poudrière (old powder magazine), now the Musée du Royal 22e Régiment at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Old powder magazine, now the Museum of the Royal 22nd Regiment
Musée du Royal 22e Régiment at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Museum of the Royal 22nd Regiment

Outside of the museum we were shown a Sherman tank and a gun confiscated from the Germans. We were also taken to a lookout point to get a panoramic view of the fort. Notice how all of the rooftops of the Citadelle are covered in grass for camouflage.

Sherman tank at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Sherman tank
Gun confiscated from the Germans at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Gun confiscated from the Germans
Cannon at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Cannon
View of the fort at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
View of the fort

From there, we walked back towards the parade ground past the headquarters of the Royal 22nd Regiment.

Royal 22e Régiment headquarters in Québec, Canada
Royal 22nd Regiment headquarters
Royal 22e Régiment at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Royal 22nd Regiment

 

More Buildings

Next, we walked past the Governor General’s residence, the official residence of the Queen of England in Canada, and to another lookout point for a nice view of Québec.

Governor General's residence at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Governor General’s residence
Cannons at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Cannons
View of the Québec at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
View of the Québec

The tour continued with a quick walk through the former military prison (l’ancienne prison militaire), which now houses a medal gallery. It concluded with a look at the chapel and a memorial cross dedicated to soldiers who died in combat in 1917.

L'ancienne Prison militaire (former military prison), now a medal gallery at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Former military prison, now a medal gallery
Chapel at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Chapel
Cross dedicated to soldiers who died in combat in 1917 at La Citadelle de Québec, Canada
Cross dedicated to soldiers who died in combat in 1917

 

Conclusion

I highly recommend spending some time at this historic landmark. The guide did a great job enthusiastically telling us about the history of the Citadelle of Québec and some stories about the base. It was an hour well spent.

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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