About 450 years ago this modern bustling city was a small village at the footsteps of the hill, later call Mont Royal (Royal Mountain). This hill gave a name to the city on the banks of the Saint Laurent River.
Montreal is often called Paris of the North America. French settlers founded the city and now Montreal is the second biggest French-speaking city after Paris. Montreal is the capital of Quebec province, which has two official languages - English and French.
Residential districts are located close to the top of the hill; the central part of the hill is mostly occupied by the shopping centers, banks. At the footsteps lie factories and building belonging to port.
Montreal business district looks like all the business districts in America - with skyscrapers and high-rise office buildings, but the old part f the city still keeps the charm of the previous centuries. It has more European style and even has the smaller copies of the European architectural monuments. For example, Saint Joseph Cathedral is a copy of Saint Peter's Cathedral in Rome and Notre Dame de Bon Secure is the copy of Notre Dame de Paris. This cathedral was built in 1824 and is considered to be the oldest structure in Montreal.
Allover Montreal has more than 300 churches and chapels; many streets are called in the honor of the saint. That's why Canadians often call Montreal "the city of all saints".
Montreal has a lot of cultural attraction. The city boasts 30 museums. Among them are Museum of Canadian history, Montreal museum of archeology and history, Museum of the arts, Museum of the modern art, Montreal Bank museum and Museum of dolls.
There is also planetarium and the largest French Canadian University. Its Botanical Garden is the second biggest in the world.
Montreal is a very green city with more than 350 parks, the most famous of which is Mont-Royal Park, created by the author of New York Central Park.
Montreal has an intense theatric life. Everyone can find something interesting. Those who choose classic should visit Theatre Du Nouveau Monde, but the citizens of Montreal prefer Theatre Saint-Denis.
The famous Montreal Symphonic Orchestra give its performances in the huge Wilfrid-Pelletier with 3000 seats. Here you can also see opera and ballet plays.
