The Citadel of Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Citadel of Halifax sits atop a hill overlooking downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. On our drive east through the province, we made a quick stop to make a visit. A wooden citadel was first built in 1749 by the troops of British General Edward Cornwallis. By 1761, the wooden citadel had fallen into disrepair due to neglect. It was not until the threat of an American attack in the 1770s that the citadel was fortified, but this one too fell into disrepair.

Despite fears of attacks from both the French and Americans neither of the first two citadels had been attacked. Nonetheless, in the 1790s a third citadel, made mostly of wood, was built replacing its predecessor. This one was never attacked either but despite some fortifications made during the war of 1812, this third citadel had also fallen into disrepair by 1825.

Again, in the 1820s, the British were concerned that the Americans would try to take Halifax. A decision was made to build a more permanent citadel, work on which began in 1828. Its star-shaped form was constructed, and this citadel was completed in 1856. It was never attacked either, and soon advances in weaponry made it obsolete.

In 1906, the citadel was handed over to the Canadian military and it served as a barracks in both World Wars and a command center during World War I.

Today, you can visit the citadel, run by the Canadian Parks service, for about 13CAD per adult (plus parking, if you park on site), or elect a guided tour. At noon, they fire the “noon gun” and several times per day there are bagpipers, drill demonstrations or guard changing ceremonies. We arrived in time to see the gun fired and caught a short display of bagpiping, but our highlight was visiting the barracks and being treated to a brief (and private) tour to learn about the life of the corporals and infantrymen who lived in the rooms of the barrack house.

For more information click here.