Frontenac castle
See also: Frontenac
The Château Frontenac is one of principal tourist attractions of the town of Quebec.
The Frontenac Castle was one of the first of long series of hotels style “castle” builds for the railway company the Canadian Pacific, according to the plans of the American architect Bruce Price at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. It opened its doors in 1893. The railway company sought to encourage tourism of luxury and to transport the quite affluent travellers in its trains. The Frontenac Castle is a “cousin” of the Château Lake Louise on bank of the Lac Louise in Alberta. Its architecture takes as a starting point the castles set up in France about the period of the Renaissance.
The Frontenac Castle was named thus in the honor of Louis de Buade, count de Frontenac, which was the governor of the colony of the News-France of 1672 with 1682 and of 1689 with 1698. The castle was built not far from the historical place of the Citadelle of Quebec, with the site of old the Château Haldiman and beside the Dufferin terrace recovering the archeological site of the fort and the Château Saint-Louis.
During the 20th century, the Frontenac castle underwent several transformations of which most important was the addition, in 1926, of the imposing tower which throne in the middle of the Castle and which gives him its so familiar silhouette. They are the Maxwell architects who are the project superintendents. Maurice Duplessis lived there while he was Prime Minister for the province.
The Conférence of Quebec of 1943 to which Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed strategy for the Second world war was held with the Citadel while most of the personnel remained near in the Frontenac Castle (William Lyon Mackenzie King was invited to some meetings like courtesy with the Canada). It now is exploited and directed by the hotel company Fairmont.
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