Fortress of Louisbourg

Louisbourg was France's fortified capital in the Atlantic, built from 1713 and a major cod port; it was besieged and taken twice, in 1745 and 1758, and the British demolished it systematically after the second capture. In the 1960s the Canadian government began rebuilding about a quarter of the town on the original foundations, in part as a make-work project for coal miners displaced by the collapse of the Cape Breton coal industry, retraining them in eighteenth-century masonry and carpentry. Around fifty buildings were reconstructed using archaeological and archival evidence, making it the largest reconstruction project of its kind in North America.

What you actually see

• The reconstructed town - about fifty buildings rebuilt on original foundations.
• The miners' craftsmanship - the retrained coal miners who did the work.
• The costumed garrison - soldiers, servants and merchants in first-person roles.
• The period food - eighteenth-century meals served in the taverns.

When to go

June to September for the full staffed programme; the site opens with reduced access in shoulder months and closes in winter. Fog is frequent even in summer.

Honest expectations

Everything visible is reconstruction rather than original fabric. The site is large and exposed, and Cape Breton fog can settle for the whole visit. Full staffing is summer only.

Nearby

Sydney lies northwest; the Miners' Museum is at Glace Bay.