History through our bridges
Montreal’s bridges have played an important role in the city’s history and development.
For Canada’s 150th anniversary, The Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Incorporated developed a heritage experience through a technical and historical journey developed with Montréal en Histoires.
This year, visitors have three new points of interest to explore on the Jacques Cartier Bridge: The Three Bridges augmented reality and two historical points of interest called The Jacques Cartier Bridge in Art and the Île Sainte-Hélène Pavilion.
Get the experience with the free Montréal en Histoires app
The Stories and Bridges multimedia tour is available free of charge via the Montréal en Histoires app. Download the content in advance and—depending on where you start and how fast you go—do a 30- or 60-minute tour at your own pace. The tour is available in four languages: French, English, Spanish and Mandarin.
4 augmented realities
Thanks to immersive videos, these augmented realities bring alive historical
facts, anecdotes and animated characters against a historical backdrop.
La Traversée mural brings history to life in the pedestrian tunnel of the Île Sainte-Hélène pavilion at the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
The Ice Bridge: Before our current bridges were built, a three-kilometre train track crossed the St. Lawrence River in 1880.
The Champlain Bridge: Spectacular images of the Champlain Bridge construction from 1957 to 1962.
The three bridges, from their construction to today.
7 points of interest
Through seven points of interest and four augmented realities, discover the
people, places and events that have forged Montreal’s history. These sites feature
educational audiovisual material that includes texts, images and illustrations.
St. Lawrence Seaway: One of North America’s largest construction projects of the 20th century.
The Champlain Bridge Ice Control Structure: Its role from yesterday to today.
Environmental protection: Maintaining balance for plants and wildlife.
The Jacques Cartier Bridge: Its construction from 1925 to 1930.
The “crooked” bridge: The creative engineering behind the bridge’s configuration with three different angles.
The Jacques Cartier Bridge in Art: This architectural icon of the Montreal landscape has inspired artists.
Île Sainte-Hélène Pavilion: This mysterious art-deco-style building hides a secret passage under the Jacques Cartier Bridge.
