Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, is located in the province of Ontario, a bit more than a two hour drive west from Montreal. We had a meeting there on Thursday afternoon, and could have easily returned the same day, but we decided to stay overnight and explore, since this was our first trip to the city. And we're glad we did; there's a lot to see in this very different, nearby city. It's a lot bigger than I realized (about 1.1 million people) and because it's the seat of Canadian government the city center is full of historic and modern buildings, including the Canadian Parliament, which is even more impressive and beautiful than it appears in photographs.
Queen Victoria chose Ottawa to be the capital of the Province of Canada in 1957. This entry from the Wikipedia tells why:
The Queen's advisers suggested she pick Ottawa for many important reasons: first, it was the only settlement of any significant size located right on the border of Canada East and Canada West (the post 1841 name for the then united regions formerly known as Upper and Lower Canada, today the Quebec/Ontario border), making it a compromise between the two colonies and their French and English populations; second, the War of 1812 had shown how vulnerable major Canadian cities were to American attack, since they were all located very close to the border while Ottawa was (then) surrounded by a dense forest far from the border; third, the government owned a large parcel of land on a spectacular spot overlooking the Ottawa River. (see the comments for the back story on this choice)
Spectacular is putting it mildly. Yesterday morning, after driving past the Houses of Parliament and the associated government buildings, which are on a bluff overlooking the river, we headed for the National Gallery of Canada, a breathtaking modern structure of glass, granite, and concrete designed by architect Moshe Safdie, well-known to Vancouver residents as the architect of Library Square and to Montrealers (the city he lives in) as the architect of 1967's famous "Habitat."
As readers of this blog will know, we're both interested in contemporary architecture, and after yesterday's visit, the National Gallery of Canada has become one of my favorite buildings. It's simply beautiful, inside and out, with a great variety of interior spaces of varying heights and feeling, but all united by a sense of spaciousness, surprise, and beautiful use of light. There is a great deal of glass, surprising in such a cold and icy climate, but it must work on a practical level. Emotionally and aesthetically, it creates an unusual and liberating sense of interior atmosphere for northern people like myself.
The ceiling of the huge rotunda, shown at the top of this post, echoes (at least I think it does!) the turret-like motifs of the House of Parliament that are seen out the windows across the river. I loved the fact that this lovely view is available to every visitor -- not only from the rotunda, but from the cafeteria tables -- a particularly Canadian gesture, perhaps.
In subsequent posts I'll tell you about two exhibitions we visited, both of which would have been well worth a special trip to Ottawa.
Having never been to Ottawa, I really enjoyed this look through your eyes, Beth!
Posted by: Marja-Leena | November 07, 2009 at 03:44 PM
I thought of you when we were there, Marja-Leena - I think you'd really like this building! What do you think of the Safdie buildings in Vancouver? Are they controversial, or liked?
Posted by: Beth | November 07, 2009 at 04:22 PM
The Vancouver library and square received mixed reactions, as I recall. It's certainly different here in its mix of ancient reference to the Roman Coliseum, the use of brick, and yet modern. I like it, especially how the outdoors and inner courtyard are merged with the library which has a lot of light. Like you I love modern architecture.
Posted by: Marja-Leena | November 07, 2009 at 04:56 PM
Historical Note: There's a back-story about the choice of Ottawa as capital of a united Canada. Montreal was the capital previously, but in 1837-38 the French rebelled against Lord Durham. It was Durham's recommendation to unite Upper and Lower Canada into a single province with one capital - Montreal: all well and good. But he also recommended a cabinet government and ministers elected to a Parliament by majority vote - which was a trick designed to take control of the government by outvoting the French. The French rebelled, and burned the Houses of Parliament, and as a result Montreal ceased to be the capital city. For a few years, the capital alternated between Toronto and Quebec City (three years in each), but no one was happy with this arrangement. Finally, in 1857-58, a lumber settlement on the Ottawa, part way between Montreal and Toronto, was chosen and became the capital. One history book notes that this location "connected Montreal with a roundabout access to Lake Ontario by the Rideau Canal," and had the advantage that "invading Americans would never find it."
Posted by: Beth | November 07, 2009 at 07:53 PM
What a fascinating place. I'm enjoying the mix of essays and short photo posts here.
Posted by: Lucy | November 08, 2009 at 01:51 AM
Goodness me! That picture taken through the window looked, at first sight, like Notre Dame in Paris. Of course now that I've looked again it's nothing like it. I think I would like Canada
Posted by: Mouse | November 08, 2009 at 05:17 AM