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Canadian cultural capitalTrois-Rivières, a festive city to discover!  What can you say about a city that doesn’t know its founder’s first name, but that is the… WORLD CAPITAL OF POETRY? Trois-Rivières, I say your name and the sun rises! In 2009, North America’s second-oldest French-speaking city is the cultural capital of Canada while celebrating its 375th anniversary!
 The Mauricie region’s capital city might just be the best-kept secret on the Chemin du Roy (King’s Road), the roadway linking Québec’s two biggest urban centres, Montréal and Québec City. And a secret well worth discovering, too, since a murmur in your ear will capsize you!Making words dance Dance! Sing! Recite! Trois-Rivières welcomes all to its hat-trick of major cultural events Fierier than your body the sun will burn The Festival international Danse Encore blazes into action in early June. The Festival international Danse Encore , blazes into action in early June.In my heart a sighing voice I do not know. Fill your ears (and heart) with the human voice in early July with the Festivoix, an international festival of singing.
 I close my eyes to your words. The high point of the annual cultural goings-on occurs in early October, as the cool fall nights come alive with poetry during the International Festival of Poetry. .Wherever you happen to be in the city—café, bar, restaurant or venue—you’ll find yourself entrapped and enraptured by the spoken word, during the biggest festival of its kind on the planet!
Out of the woods By the 19th century, Trois-Rivières had moved into prominence as the region’s capital by developing its immense surrounding forests. The abundance of natural resources gave rise to a colossal pulp and paper industry—one that had earned the city the nickname of “world’s paper capital” by 1925. It’s the golden age of the famous Québec’s storytelling, and the devil is always nearby the logging camps. Learn all about the period, from logging camps to paper mills, at the Exhibition Centre on the Pulp and Paper Industry (CEIPP) in the Old Port.
 From the CEIPP, take the staircase to admire artist Jean Beaulieu’s stained glass. Created as part of the MargiArt initiative, the works portray the illustrious sons and daughters of Trois-Rivières, including former Québec Premier Maurice Duplessis, NHL player Jean Béliveau and the Ursulines, the city famous nuns.  The nearby dwelling dating back to 1850 was once home to the 19th century’s most popular mayor, Joseph-Édouard Turcotte—a colourful character who built a road in front of his house so that his electorate could admire the view of the river! Nearby is the funniest museum around town, the Québec Museum of Popular Culture , where you can visit the Old prison with a former prisoner!  Drunk on beauty? The Rue des Forges is the perfect place to wind down. Rebuilt after the great fire of 1908, the downtown street today boasts outdoor patios as far as the eye can see. It also becomes a pedestrian mall from Friday to Sunday, all summer long. Enjoy a beverage and a good meal, and take in the celebrated musical revue Showtime. And don’t forget: there will be plenty going on each year, at mid-August, when the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières invades the city! Take me into your heart so that I am no longer a stranger… Your turn to discover Trois-Rivières, city of culture, since you now know the magic words to its heart!Please note: all the texxts in bold italic are part of the Promenade de la poésie de Trois-Rivières If you don’t know who your ancestors are, you make them up! Unlike Québec City with Samuel de Champlain, Trois-Rivières has a hard time enshrining its founder, the Sieur de Laviolette, since very little is known about the gentleman. Even trying to trace the family name back to France yields few clues, since soldiers in New France were often given the names of flowers as their surnames. All the same, this is one “violet” that blossomed in what is now a sought-after cultural hotspot! While you wait for the mystery to be solved, you can view Laviolette’s statue on the Platon. |
 Click on the map to see the city's nice places to visit |
Sylvain Lacoursière
2009-05-25 |
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Experience Québec
