ANNAPOLIS ROYAL HISTORIC DISTRICT
From its strategic setting, Annapolis Royal has witnessed pivotal events in the history of European settlement in Canada. Located on a former Mi'kmaq meeting place, the townsite and its environs were known as Port-Royal by the French, who occupied the area in 1605. The distinctive Acadian settlement and agricultural patterns later developed on the surrounding marshlands. As the capital of the French colony of Acadia, Port-Royal experienced a tumultuous first century. Its fortifications were repeatedly besieged, captured and rebuilt in the English-French rivalry for dominance in North America. In 1713 France ceded Acadia to Britain. Port-Royal, renamed Annapolis Royal, served until 1749 as the capital of the British colony of Nova Scotia. Annapolis Royal's richly layered history is embodied in today's well-preserved townscape. The winding French road which linked the scattered Port-Royal houses survives as St. George Street. The town's buildings provide a showcase of 18th and 19th century architecture, from the stately homes of upper St. George Street to the vernacular dwellings in the lower town.
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L'ARRONDISSEMENT HISTORIQUE D'ANNAPOLIS ROYAL
En raison de son emplacement stratégique, Annapolis Royal a été témoin d'événements décisifs dans l'histoire de l'établissement des Européens au Canada. Jadis un lieu de rencontre mi'kmaq, le village et ses environs furent d'abord appelés Port-Royal par les Français qui occupèrent la région dès 1605. Plus tard, les Acadiens développèrent leur mode distinctif d'établissement et d'agriculture dans les marais environnants. Capitale de la colonie française d'Acadie, Port-Royal vécut un premier siècle tumultueux. Ses fortifications furent maintes fois assiégées, détruites, et reconstruites durant la longue lutte que se livrèrent les Français et les Britanniques pour la domination de l'Amérique du Nord. En 1713, la France céda l'Acadie à la Grande-Bretagne. Rebaptisée Annapolis Royal, l'agglomération devint jusqu'en 1749 la capitale de la Nouvelle-Écosse. La richesse architecturale des périodes de l'histoire se traduit dans le paysage bien conservé de la ville. Le chemin sinueux qui reliait les maisons éparpillées de Port-Royal pendant le régime français subsiste sous le nom de St. George. Les bâtiments de la ville offrent une vitrine de l'architecture des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles, depuis les imposantes demeures du haut de la rue St. George jusqu'aux habitations vernaculaires dans le bas de la ville.
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This plaque text is recorded in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, published by Parks Canada for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Plaque texts come from the Directory’s open dataset in the languages the Directory publishes them in; the pin on this page is ours, worked out from the Directory’s street address or local area and marked approximate. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. TreeAlive is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Parks Canada or the Government of Canada. Open Government Licence – Canada