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Petit Champlain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Petit Champlain
Coordinates: 46°48′47″N 71°12′09″W / 46.81306°N 71.20250°W / 46.81306; -71.20250
CountryCanada
ProvinceQuebec
CityQuebec City
BoroughLa Cité-Limoilou
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Websitewww.quartierpetitchamplain.com

Quartier du Petit Champlain is a small commercial zone in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is located in the neighbourhood of Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–colline Parlementaire in the borough of La Cité-Limoilou, near Place Royale and its Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church. Its main street is the Rue du Petit-Champlain at the foot of Cap Diamant. It is claimed that it's the oldest commercial district in North America.[1]

In French it is referred to as a quartier (neighbourhood) although it is not an official one recognised by the City. It is named after Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608.[2]

Attractions

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Rue du Petit-Champlain

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Rue du Petit-Champlain is around 0.16 miles (0.26 km) long, and runs from its convergence with Rue Sous-le-Fort in the north to Boulevard Champlain in the south.

Rue du Petit-Champlain fresco

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The fresco painted on the side of the building at 102 rue du Petit-Champlain is a trompe-l'œil measuring 100m2 (900 ft2). It represents the history of the district, the bombardments of 1759, the landslides, and the fires which have occurred in the district.[3]

Breakneck Stairs

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The Breakneck Stairs or Breakneck Steps (French: Escalier casse-cou), Quebec City's oldest stairway, were built in 1635. Today they are a popular viewpoint for tourists to view rue du Petit-Champlain.

References

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  1. ^ Simard, Luc (1994). Du Cap au Rivage : promenade dans les rues de Québec [From Cape to Shore: walking the streets of Quebec City] (in French). Quebec City. ISBN 2-920860-77-1. OCLC 214315240.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ "Petit-Champlain - Quebec City 101". Quebec City 101. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
  3. ^ "About". Quartier Petit Champlain. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
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