Place Jacques Cartier
Place Jacques-Cartier is another famous square in Old Montreal. It is a few minutes walk up the hill from metro Champ-de-Mars. It used to be an open public market in the 19th century. The square is like a wide street going down from Notre-Dame street to De la Commune street at the bottom. At the top of the Square, there is Montreal City Hall, which is the main government building for the City of Montreal. The mayor's office is there, and it is where the city council meets. The building has a green roof, and it was finished in 1878.
Also at the top of the square is Nelson's Column, a famous statue built in 1808 to remember Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died fighting Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Across the street from City Hall, there is the Château Ramezay Museum, which is a small museum of the history of Montreal.
The sides of Place Jacques-Cartier have many restaurants with "terraces" which are patios where you can eat outside. In the summer, there are many street performers - jugglers, magicians, and acrobats who do little shows, trying to get people to give a few dollars. They are very interesting and funny. If you like the show, give them something! Also in the square, there are artists who are selling their pictures. It is an interesting place to be.
Near Place Jacques-Cartier, there is the Notre Dame de Bonsecours Church, which is also called the Sailor's Church, and Bonsecours Market, which was built in 1847. Bonsecours Market is a big, long building on Saint Paul Street that has a silver dome on it. It used to be an indoor public market, and it was Montreal City Hall from 1852 to 1878.
Today, it is like a small shopping centre full of special shops that have art and clothes from Quebec. It is very interesting. In the basement, on the De la Commune street side, there is glass-making shop. You can watch people making beautiful glass objects.
