Embassy of Croatia, Ottawa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Embassy of Croatia in Canada |
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The embassy in winter
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| Address | 229 Chapel Street Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7Y6 |
| Coordinates | 45°25′46″N 75°40′46″W / 45.429507°N 75.679343°W |
| Ambassador | Marica Matkovic |
The Embassy of the Republic of Croatia is located in the Toller House. You can find it at the corner of Chapel and Daly Streets in the Sandy Hill area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. An embassy is like a country's main office in another country. It helps people from its home country and works to build good relationships between the two nations.
Contents
The Croatian Embassy in Canada
A Historic Home
The building where the embassy is now was built a long time ago, in 1875. It was designed by architects Henry Horsey and J. Sheard. The style of the building is called Domestic Gothic Revival. This means it looks a bit like old castles or churches, but for a home.
The first person to live there was J.H. Plummer. He was a manager for a bank in Ottawa. A few years later, a very important person named Télesphore Fournier moved in. He was a judge on Canada's highest court, the Supreme Court of Canada.
The Toller Family and Others
In 1882, a man named Frederick Toller bought the house. He was in charge of checking Canada's money. His family owned the house for many years, until 1912. After that, a government minister named Louis-Philippe Brodeur lived there until 1931.
Later, a group of nuns (women who dedicate their lives to religious service) owned the house. They used it as a place to live and also as a school until 1968. After the nuns left, students from the nearby University of Ottawa rented rooms in the house.
Croatia's New Home in Canada
Croatia became an independent country in 1993. This meant it needed its own embassies around the world. The Croatian-Canadian community, which are people of Croatian heritage living in Canada, helped a lot. They bought this historic building for the Republic of Croatia.
They also raised money to fix up the building. It needed a lot of work to become an embassy. After all the hard work, the building officially opened as the Croatian Embassy in 1999. It helps connect Canada and Croatia.
The building is so special that it was part of an event called Doors Open Ottawa in 2012. During this event, people can visit interesting and historic buildings that are usually closed to the public.
Other Croatian Offices
Besides the main embassy in Ottawa, Croatia also has another office. This office is called a consular office. It is located in Mississauga, which is a city in Ontario. Consular offices help with things like passports and visas.
