Dames de Soie (Les)

Description:

• A complex of defensive buildings erected by the French in the 17th and 18th centuries make up Artillery Park, including an ammunition factory that was functional until 1964 (it was staffed by Canadian Rosie the Riveter-type women during World War II). On view are the iron foundry, officers' mess and quarters, and a scale model of the city created in 1806. (It may be a blow to romantics and history buffs to learn that the nearby St-Jean Gate in the city wall was built in 1940, the fourth in a series that began with the original 1693 entrance, which was replaced in 1747, and then replaced again in 1867.)

• © Frommer's 2013