Like every nation, Canada’s landscape and landmarks have evolved dramatically over the centuries, leaving many of its most famous historical sites almost unrecognisable from their original form.
Click through this gallery to discover some of Canada’s most iconic places and attractions, then and now...
During the mid-19th century, a solitary limestone cliff in the centre of a small logging town was transformed into what would become a buzzing national capital landmark.
Development of the former military base on Parliament Hill began in 1859 after Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of the Province of Canada. This image shows the Gothic revival buildings in 1914.
Seen as the heart of Canadian democracy, ‘The Hill’, located on Wellington Street overlooking the Ottawa River, is the site of iconic buildings like the Parliament Buildings, including the Centre Block, home to the Peace Tower.
Not only is it the place where representatives from across the nation gather to make laws that affect the lives of every Canadian, it is also a destination to meet, celebrate and visit.
Dubbed the ‘Gibraltar of the North’, the Fortress of Louisbourg, shown in this engraving, was built to serve as a base for France’s lucrative North American fishery and to protect Québec City from British invasion.
However, following the siege of Louisbourg in 1758 and the subsequent fall of Québec, British forces began systematically dismantling the fortress. By 1768, engineers had used explosives to reduce its formidable walls to rubble.
Nowadays, the Fortress of Louisbourg on Cape Breton’s rocky shoreline is a meticulously reconstructed 18th-century French fortress and colonial town. It is the largest historical reconstruction in North America and a National Historic Site of Canada.
Visitors can take in the looming fortifications, kitchen gardens and elegant houses, with costumed guides and richly furnished exhibits offering a glimpse into life in a bustling military and trading post.
Located in midtown Toronto, Gothic revival-style mansion and garden Casa Loma was designed by architect EJ Lennox. It was built between 1911 and 1914 for financier and soldier Sir Henry Pellatt after his travels to Europe gave him a love for fine art and architecture, which would inspire his vision of the ‘House on the Hill’.
At the time, Casa Loma, shown in this image from 1922, was the biggest private residence ever constructed in Canada.
Now owned by the City of Toronto, Casa Loma is a treasured heritage landmark and one of Canada’s top tourist attractions. Each year, over 650,000 visitors tour the mansion and estate gardens.
Casa Loma’s unique architecture has also made it a highly desirable location for film shoots, with X-Men, Strange Brew, Chicago and Scott Pilgrim vs the World among the movies shot there.
A city on the sea, Halifax owes its existence to the Citadel, the large hill overlooking the harbour that led the British military to found the town there in 1749.
Among the first buildings constructed was a wooden guardhouse on top of Citadel Hill, with settlers building their homes at the base. As the fort (seen in this print from around 1870) grew, so did the town of Halifax, which provided soldiers with supplies and entertainment.
Although it is no longer a military fortification, Halifax Citadel continues to watch over the city. The present Citadel, completed in 1856, is officially called Fort George, and its distinctive star shape is typical of many forts built by the British military in the 19th century.
Every day, the Citadel comes to life with the sounds and colour of the Living History Museum’s military interpreters, offering visitors a glimpse into the site’s historic past.
A monumental early 19th-century construction covering 125 miles (202km) of the Rideau and Cataraqui Rivers, the Rideau Canal, shown in this image from 1939, was built from 1826 to 1832 by Colonel John By of the British Royal Engineers. Its original purpose was primarily military and strategic during a time when Great Britain and the United States vied for control of the region.
While it eventually fell out of use when freight was moved to the railways and the St Lawrence Seaway, the Rideau Canal remains the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that is operational along its original line.
These days, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, operated by Parks Canada, is a recreational paradise primarily used for pleasure boating from May to October.
On 16 August 1896, prospectors and members of the local Tagish First Nation found gold on Rabbit Creek (now Bonanza Creek). Word spread quickly, and a rush to stake the best ground commenced.
Joe Ladue soon established the townsite of Dawson, seen here in 1898, at the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers. From then on, the ensuing Gold Rush would change the landscape of North America forever.
With its First Nations heritage, Gold Rush history, active mining and tourism industries and thriving arts scene, Dawson City is now an eclectic and vibrant northern community.
The town has several well-preserved frontier-style buildings, many of which are found in the Dawson Historical Complex. The Dawson City Museum outlines the history of the Gold Rush, as well as the area’s geology, through interactive exhibits and gold-pouring demonstrations.
This image shows Guglielmo Marconi, who, on 12 December 1901, received the first transatlantic wireless transmission on Signal Hill, overlooking St John’s, the harbour and capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Steeped in history, Signal Hill was previously the site of military battles as well as technological triumphs. Built between 1897 and 1900, Cabot Tower was constructed in honour of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s Voyage of Discovery.
The majority of Signal Hill, including Cabot Tower, is a designated National Historic Site. Visitors can enjoy coastal hikes, take in the stunning views and listen out for the boom of cannon fire as they journey back to the time when British and French forces vied for strategic control over the harbour.
The community of the Battery lies on the slope of the hill, while the Memorial University of Newfoundland has a campus in the former Battery Hotel.
Our next entry is both a place and an event. The first-ever Calgary Stampede took place in September 1912 after Guy Weadick, a New Yorker who became captivated by the cowboy lifestyle, returned to Canada with a vision to create a frontier days celebration and championship.
The six-day event staged in a rodeo arena built on the fairgrounds featured a competitive rodeo and a parade. It was attended by 80,000 people – double the size of Calgary’s population at the time. This image is from the 1923 edition.
When the Stampede celebrated its 100th birthday in 2012, almost 1.5 million people passed through the gates, with fireworks lighting up all four corners of the city at the same time as those in the Grandstand Show.
The 2025 edition of the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ takes place in July, with Poison’s Bret Michaels performing ahead of the first-ever Stampede Bowl, a football game between the Calgary Stampeders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, on the eve of the event.
Record players and radios were rare a century ago, so the residents of Vancouver used to soak up music at bandstands. Located in the centre of Alexandra Park overlooking English Bay, this octagonal bandshell has been a focal point for evening and holiday entertainment since 1914.
However, it was not the first bandstand in that area. For several years at the beginning of the 20th century, there was another nearby, just across the street on Beach Avenue.
By the 1980s, Alexandra Park Bandstand was showing its age, and in 1987, restoration work began on the only surviving bandstand of the seven that once graced the city. Surrounded by grand old trees, it stages a number of free concerts throughout the year, as well as wedding ceremonies.
The leafy park is ideal for picnics and is home to a fountain dedicated to Joe Fortes, the city’s first lifeguard and the man named Vancouver’s ‘Citizen of the Century’.
One of the world’s most famous natural wonders, Niagara Falls formed about 12,000 years ago when glacial meltwater carved a path over the Niagara Escarpment, creating the Niagara River and the falls themselves.
The largest of the three falls is Horseshoe Falls (also known as the Canadian Falls), which is about 187 feet (57m) high and straddles the border of Canada and the USA. This vintage 19th-century photograph shows tourists at the falls.
Located just over an hour’s drive from Toronto, the stunning falls attract between 12 and 14 million visitors annually, and this image shows tourists wearing rain jackets on one of the popular boat tours.
Beyond the falls themselves, attractions include the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, a zipline to the falls, the Skylon Tower, magic shows, the Nightmares Fear Factory, as well as golf courses, wine tours and spas.