canadian heritage
National treasures and traditions can be explored in the capital ’ s museums , which showcase the breadth of Canadian history and heritage .
above : Canadian War Museum right : Canadian Museum of History inset : Diefenbunker : Canada ’ s Cold War Museum
Just across the Ottawa River , opposite Parliament Hill , is the Canadian Museum of History , an architecturally stunning building that , with its organic contours and shapes , evokes images of Aboriginal longhouses , earth lodges , and igloos . The museum ’ s new Canadian History Hall ( opening July 1 , 2017 ) is an ambitious project that will present the most comprehensive look at the land ’ s history to date through events , personalities , stories , and artifacts . The series of connected galleries occupy more than 40,000 square feet .
A country ’ s history includes conflict , a fact on display at the Canadian War Museum through artifacts such as fighter jets and artillery — even Hitler ’ s 1940 Daimler-Benz limousine . It ’ s often repeated that Canada , as a nation , was forged in the mud and trenches of Vimy Ridge , a battlefield in France in which 10,000 Canadians fought under their own command for the first time . To mark the battle ’ s 100th anniversary , the museum presents the exhibition Vimy - Beyond the Battle ( April 6 , 2017 to Nov . 12 , 2017 ). While the museum was designed to resemble a wartime bunker , the region is also home to a real wartime bunker . Hidden underground outside the village of Carp ( a half-hour drive west of downtown ) is a network of passageways and rooms that were part of Canada ’ s Cold War strategy . The Diefenbunker was built between 1959 and 1961 to shelter Canada ’ s leaders , including Prime p h o t o s : c a n a d i a n wa r m u s e u m ( h a r ry f o s t e r ); c a n a d i a n m u s e u m o f h i s t o ry ( d e s t i n at i o n c a n a d a )
20 www . ottawatourism . ca