Halifax is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Its history dates to 1749, when Halifax was founded and named after George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, who at the time was president of the British Chamber of Commerce and who helped establish the colony of Nova Scotia.

Upon its founding, the capital of the colony was moved from Annapolis Royal to Halifax. The city’s first decades were characterized by instability with the American War of Independence and the consequences of the Napoleonic Wars in North America. After this, Halifax grew throughout the 19th century, where the city gained a significant role in transatlantic shipping.

During the 20th century world wars, Halifax became an important port for Allied shipping across the Atlantic, but during World War I things went wrong when the Norwegian SS Imo rammed into the French SS Mont-Blanc on 6 December 1917, subsequently causing the Halifax explosion, where almost 2,000 people lost their lives, and which left part of the city in ruins.

Today, Halifax is a city with many sights. The downtown area is between the fortress on Citadel Hill and the city’s historically important port, and there are things to see everywhere. On Citadel Hill is the Halifax Citadel, also called Fort George. The citadel is the fourth of its kind on the site since the English founded the city, and to the east you can see the landmark Halifax Town Clock, which is a clock tower that was built in the early 1800s.

In downtown there are several sights from Halifax’s history, such as Government House, which is the official residence of the Canadian monarch’s representative in the city and in the province. The building was constructed from the year 1800. A short distance north from here is Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica, a Catholic cathedral that was consecrated in 1899. If you continue through downtown to the north, you come to Halifax City Hall, which was opened in 1890.

You can also take a tour of the city’s railway history. The first station in Halifax opened in 1858, while the current railway station was inaugurated in 1928. At the station you can see the contemporary Hotel Nova Scotian, which was built by Canadian National Railways as one of the country’s famous railway hotels near the city harbor. If you go west, you come to the recreational area of ​​Halifax Public Gardens, where the Lord Nelson Hotel is located. The hotel was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1928 as a competitor to the Hotel Nova Scotian.

There are several interesting museums and cultural institutions in Halifax as well. At the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, you can enjoy a large art collection with works by local, Canadian and international artists. The museum was founded in 1908, and it is currently housed in the Dominion Building from 1868, which was built with inspiration from Italian palazzos from the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries. Elsewhere in the city you will find the Dominion Public Building from the 1930s art deco. It was built as Halifax’s tallest building at the time.

In downtown Halifax, you can visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, which is an interesting maritime museum. Founded in 1948, the museum is the oldest and largest maritime museum in Canada. There are many themes in the museum’s exhibitions, where you can learn a part of the history of the Titanic and see the museum ship CSS Acadia as some of the highlights. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located along the Halifax Boardwalk, a beautiful walking route along the city’s harbor.

There is quite a bit to see and do along the Halifax Boardwalk. Historic Properties is a small harborside area consisting of a series of Napoleonic period warehouses that boosted the Canadian economy of the time through trade and exports. It is a pleasant area that you should visit, and close by you can take a boat trip with the ferries from the Halifax Ferry Terminal.

South of the ferry terminal is Pier 21, which was Halifax’s historic wharf for arrivals of luxury liners across the Atlantic. Pier 21 was also a place where approximately one million immigrants came to the country during the period of emigration from Europe. That history can be explored much on a visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21/Musée canadien de l’immigration du Quai 21. Pier 21 opened in 1928 and was active for ocean liners and immigration until 1971.