Pointe-à-Callière Museum facts for kids
| Pointe-à-Callière, Musée d'archéologie et d'histoire de Montréal | |
View of the Pointe-à-Callière complex
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| Established | 1992 |
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| Location | Old Montreal, Ville-Marie, Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Type | Archaeology and History museum |
| Visitors | 353,503 (2011) |
| Architect | Dan Hanganu |
| Public transit access |   at Place-d'Armes |
The Pointe-à-Callière Museum (also known as the Musée Pointe-à-Callière) is a special place in Old Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's a museum of archaeology and history. This means it explores the past by studying old objects and places.
The museum opened in 1992. This was part of the big celebrations for Montreal's 350th birthday! It shows how different cultures lived together in the Montreal area. You can learn how Indigenous peoples, the French, and the British shaped the history of this land. The spot where the museum stands is so important that it's called Montreal's Birthplace National Historic Site.
More than 350,000 people visit the museum each year. Since it opened, almost 4.5 million people have explored its exhibits. The museum has won many awards for its design, exhibits, and educational programs.
The museum complex includes several important historical spots:
- Three archaeological sites: Pointe-à-Callière, Place Royale, and 214 Place d'Youville.
- The archaeological field school at Fort Ville-Marie.
- Montreal's first Catholic cemetery.
- The William collector sewer.
- An archaeological crypt at Place Royale.
- A historic building: the former Youville Pumping Station.
- The Mariners House at 165-169 Place d’Youville.
- Over a million historical objects in its collections!
Contents
Discovering Montreal's Past
The Pointe-à-Callière Museum opened in 1992. It was designed to show visitors the rich history hidden beneath the city. The museum was built on special supports. This way, the old historical finds underground were not disturbed. They are protected and can be seen as part of the museum's permanent exhibits.
The main entrance of the museum is right where the first French settlers landed in 1642. These settlers included Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance.
Future Discoveries
Archaeologists have found even more amazing things recently. These include parts of Fort Ville-Marie and the home of Governor Louis-Hector de Callière. There are plans to show these new finds in a future expansion. This will also let visitors see the Little Saint-Pierre River canal, which was covered by the William sewer. You will also be able to see the remains of St. Anne's Market. This market was home to the Parliament of the United Province of Canada from 1844 to 1849.
Future plans include a new exhibition hall on McGill Street. This hall will host international exhibits about ancient civilizations and their cultures.
Traveling Exhibitions
The museum also shares its knowledge with others. In 1996, its first traveling exhibit, Water In, Waste Out, was shown in other museums. Another exhibit, 1690: The Siege of Québec... The Story of a Sunken Ship, has traveled around Quebec and to other countries since 2000. The museum also has an exhibit about underground Montreal. You can see this as part of a cultural walk in the underground tunnels of the Quartier international de Montréal.
Exploring the Museum Complex
The Pointe-à-Callière Museum is built over many important historical and archaeological sites. These sites show major parts of Montreal's history. Some of the archaeological finds were left in place when the museum was built. They are now part of the museum's permanent displays.
Key Buildings
- L'Éperon building: This is a main part of the museum.
- Old Custom House: Built in 1836, this historic building is now used as the museum's gift shop.
Museum Exhibits and Activities
The museum shows archaeological remains from every time period in Montreal's past. The sites it protects have given us one of the biggest collections of archaeological objects in Canada. The museum's team are experts in research, preserving old items, and sharing history with people. They work with universities to study the city's archaeology and history. They also have collections of objects and documents given by local people. The museum also has exhibits about the city's buildings and industries.
Permanent Exhibitions
You can always find these exciting exhibits at the museum:
- 1701 - The Great Peace of Montréal
- Archaeo-Adventure
- Building Montréal
- Crossroads Montréal
- Memory Collector
- Pirates or privateers?
- Where Montréal Began
- Yours Truly, Montréal multimedia show
Temporary Exhibitions
Besides its permanent shows, the museum has hosted over thirty temporary exhibitions. These shows cover local and international archaeology, history, and culture. They also explore artistic creativity and multiculturalism.
The museum offers educational programs and activities for school groups and the public. These programs teach about archaeology and history. The museum also hosts musical performances, theatre shows, and demonstrations. These include lectures, debates, and participation in events across Canada and internationally. The museum works closely with Native and cultural communities. For example, in 2001, for the 300th anniversary of the 1701 Great Peace of Montreal, the museum worked with Indigenous groups from Quebec, Canada, and the United States.
Here are some of the past temporary exhibitions:
- 2014-2015: The Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great
- 2014: Marco Polo: an epic Journey
- 2013-2014: Lives and Times of the Plateau, The Beatles in Montréal
- 2013: The Tea Road
- 2012-2013: Samurai: The Prestigious Collection of Richard Béliveau
- 2012: The Etruscans: An Ancient Italian Civilization
- 2011-2012: Colors of India
- 2011: To Your Health, Cesar! Wine with the Gauls
- 2010-2011: St.Catherine Street makes the Headlines
- 2010: Easter Island: An Epic Voyage, 100 years underground, Discovering legends with Jean-Claude Dupont
- 2009-2010: Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters
- 2008-2009: Costa-Rica: Land of wonders!
- 2008: France, New France: birth of a French people in North America
- 2007-2008: 1837•1837, Rebellions, Patriotes vs Loyalists
- 2007: First Nations, French Royal Collections
- 2006-2007: St. Lawrence Iroquoians, Corn People
- 2006: Japan
- 2005-2006: Jules Verne, Writing the Sea
- 2005: Encounters in Roman Gaul
- 2004-2005: Old Montréal in a New Light
- 2004: Oceania
- 2003-2004: Dreams and Realities Along the Lachine Canal
- 2003: Archaeology and the Bible – From King David to the Dead Sea Scrolls
- 2002-2003: Varna – World's First Gold, Ancient Secrets (A Collection from the Varna Museum, Bulgaria)
- 2002: Saint-Laurent, Montréal's "Main”
- 2001–2002: Mysteries of the Moche of Peru
- 2001: 1701 – The Great Peace of Montréal
- 2000–2001: Africa Musica! (Exploring a Collection from the Museo Pigorini)
- 2000: 1690: The Siege of Québec... The Story of a Sunken Ship
- 1999–2000: Treasures from the South of Italy — Basilicata, Land of Light
- 1999: Montréal, by Bridge and Crossing
- 1998–1999: Art and Archaeology: Young Artists from Lyon at the Museum, Treasures from the Ukrainian Steppes
- 1998: The Ravages of Time: Restoring Heritage Objects from France, Crucifixion: Unique Archaeological Evidence from Jerusalem
- 1997–1998: Bannock, Baguette, Bagel – Montréal Bread
- 1997: Abitibiwinni, 6,000 Years of History, Art and Archaeology
- 1996–1997: Ancient Cyprus: 8,000 Years of Civilization
- 1996: Dream Merchants. The Emergence of Cinema in Quebec, Water In, Waste Out. The History of Aqueducts, Water Mains and Sewers in Montréal
- 1995–1996: Window Stories
- 1995: The Port as Seen by Pierre Bourgault, Gilles Vigneault and Helmut Lipsky
- 1994–1995: Bones and Bottles — Fragments of History
See also
In Spanish: Pointe-à-Callière para niños
- Archaeology in Quebec
