Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site Review

The Citadel, erected between 1826 and 1856, was the heart of the city's fortifications and was linked to smaller forts and gun emplacements on the harbor islands and on the bluffs above the harbor entrance. Several other forts stood on the site before the present one. Kilted soldiers drill in front of the Army Museum, once the barracks, and a cannon is fired every day at noon—a tradition since 1749. Free tours with a costumed guide help bring the history of both the fort and the city to life. Before leaving, take in the view from the Citadel: the spiky downtown crowded between the hilltop and the harbor; the wooded islands at the harbor's mouth; and the naval dockyard under the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge, the nearer of the two bridges connecting Halifax with Dartmouth. The handsome, four-sided Town Clock on Citadel Hill was given to Halifax by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, military commander from 1794 to 1800.