Even before we board our ship, our hosts; One Ocean Expeditions, have organised an exciting itinerary, which includes a visit to the historically recreated fortress of Louisbourg.
Louisbourg has always depended on the sea. The earliest recorded visit to the harbour was by British sailors in 1597.
Recognising the economic and military potential of Louisburg’s harbour and Atlantic cod fishery, King Louis XIV secured it by treaty of Utrecht for France in 1713 and began constructing a well-fortified, walled city on this location.
Louisburg became the third busiest seaport on the continent during the 18th century.
Because of its strategic position, the fortress was successfully besieged by British troops operating from New England in 1745.
It was handed back to France 1748 in a treaty but was captured again by British troops in 1758 who raised it to the ground in 1760.
Two hundred years later in the 1960’s, reconstruction began on the fortress ruins, to recreate what has become the largest historical reconstruction project in North America.
Today the fortress at Louisburg is one of Canada’s most important historic and tourist sites and ironically the reconstruction of 1960 has long since outlived, in terms of years, the original period it served as a fortress.
We are grateful to Destination Canada, Air Canada and ship operators One Ocean Expeditions for kindly hosting us on this trip