Museums to Immerse yourself in the City’s Past and its creativeness — Mapped to Discover them Easily
Even as a fairly young city of 380 years old. Museums can bring great understanding of Montreal, the people, the first nations and the beginnings of a country, Canada.
Time machines exist — they are also known as museums. And to visit one of these magnificent collections of culture is to reminisce the golden past that laid the foundations for this present. Add to that the rich legacy of the First Nations and the French & English settlers, and you get a series of some of the best museums in the world, that offer deep insights into a bygone era through paintings, art, photographs, and a lot more. Walking into these Montreal museums will broaden your understanding of the city’s culture & story.
So, without any further delays, let us get on with our list of some of the best museums in Montreal.
1. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Spread across five pavilions, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts combines various artistic disciplines. The pavilions comprise international art, decorative arts, design, contemporary works, world cultures, and Quebec and Canadian Art. Boasting of being the 18th largest museum in North America in terms of size, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts houses over 45,000 paintings, multimedia installa
tions, sculptures, graphic artworks, & photographs.
It’s also the most visited museum in Quebec and the second most visited museum in Canada. The museum is also one of Canada’s foremost publishers of art publications, both in French and English, that are distributed internationally. It also hosts the Michel de la Chenelière International Atelier for Education and Art Therapy. Here, you can partake in various innovative wellness, educational, and art therapy programs.
2. McCord Museum
Founded in 1921 by David Ross McCord, the museum started with his family collection. Since then, the museum’s holdings have expanded significantly. Today, the museum focuses on being a public research center, dedicated to the preservation, study, and appreciation of Canadian history. This is one of the many reasons why museums are significant. The McCord Museum celebrates Canada’s past and present life in Montreal through its extensive collection. Their exhibits include historical objects, artifacts, textiles, photographs, paintings, and documents. If you want to dive deep into the country’s history, this is the place to be.
3. Écomusée du fier Monde
The museum is housed in a beautiful old public bath building called Le bain Généreux built 1926–1927 and property of the city of Montreal since (French heritage page). You’ll also like to know. The museum is located on Amherst Street, which was renamed in 2019, due the controversial figure that was J. Amherst. To Atateken, which means in Mohawk, fraternity.
The Écomusé du fier Monde defines itself as a history and a community museum. Its permanent exhibition, speaks of the hardships, the joys of a popular neighbourhood (Centre-Sud of Montreal) from its the industrial revolution era to the present day. Discover the impact of the industrial era on workers, the daily lives of their families and the de-industrialization effects on the community.
The museum develops an approach aimed to be an education centre for the community. The museum creates very close collaborations with the district partners for participatory projects. It is also implicated in reflections that have present and future stakes on the neighbourhood. All this to say. You want to discover Montreal and the creative mind sets in finding innovative solutions to needs of a community. Visit Le Musée du fier Monde!
4. Château Ramezay
Built in 1705 as the residence of then-governor of Montreal, Claude de Ramezay, the Château Ramezay is the province’s oldest private history museum. A museum and historic building located in Old Montreal, the Château Ramezay’s collection constitutes around 30,000 objects, that include manuscripts, numismatic items, ethnological items, printed works, works of art, paintings, prints, and furniture.
The historic building has also undergone many changes over the past centuries, making it one of the most unique museums in Canada. In 2003, the museum also earned the National Award of Excellence on behalf of the Landscape Architects of Canada. Not just the artifacts, but even the building is historic!
5. La Guilde 1906
Focused on the preservation and education of Inuit & First Nations art, La Guilde 1906 is a non-profit organization that was established in 1906. The museum supports Inuit, First Nations, and Fine Crafts artists, in a way that provides viability to their artistic expressions.
La Guilde’s exhibits include over 1500 artifacts and works of art, from the end of the 19th century until today. Their collection constitutes one of the most historically important selections of Inuit art in Canada. They also offer a wide range of exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural activities.
These help develop knowledge and also raise awareness about indigenous Canadian art. La Guilde offers a variety of artifacts on display, such as wall art, jewelry, paintings, photographs, letters, and pamphlets. The organization also holds workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and guided tours, to help visitors understand Canadian culture even better. A visit to La Guilde, becomes a dialogue between the visitors and the institution, which makes the learning process even more interesting.
As you walk through the halls of these interesting spaces, you shall get to witness an amalgamation of Indigenous & European cultures, that have co-existed for centuries. The items on display tell you a thousand stories, that you won’t be able to find in books and libraries. To make sure that your experience is even more rewarding, don’t forget to use SpotEv’s discovery service — Spot&Go, to find everything from theatres, cafes, and restaurants around these areas.
Here is a list of the museums in Montreal, under the umbrella of Musée Montréal. Take a look at the list to get a better idea of the various kinds of museums
to experience in Montreal. You can click on the Map to locate them easily!
Centre Marius-Barbeau | Biosphère — Montréal Space for Life | Tohu | La-Prison-des-Patriotes Exhibition Centre | Montréal Holocaust Museum | Château Dufresne, musée et lieu historique patrimonial | Biodôme — Montréal Space for Life | Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex | Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal | Redpath Museum | PHI Centre | Maison Nivard-De Saint-Dizier, musée et site archéologique | Shriners Hospitals for Children — Canada Museum | Jardin botanique de Montréal — Montréal Space for Life | MUMAQ, musée des métiers d’art du Québec | Dorval Museum of Local History and Heritage | Écomusée du fier monde | Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan — Montréal Space for Life | The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site | Museum of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal | Maison Saint-Gabriel, Historic Site and Museum | Jardin de sculptures de Lachine | Site du Musée de Lachine et Parc René-Lévesque | Montréal Science Centre | Insectarium — Montréal Space for Life | SBC Gallery of Contemporary Art | MEM — Centre des mémoires montréalaises | Musée des ondes Emile Berliner | Montréal Museum of Fine Arts | Site historique Marguerite-Bourgeoys | McCord Museum | Musée de Lachine | Château Ramezay Historic Site and Museum of Montréal | Centre d’exposition de l’Université de Montréal | PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art | Cinémathèque québécoise
And don’t worry… We’ll be covering these museums in our upcoming articles as well. So, don’t forget to follow our blog for all the latest updates!
Until next time!
La joie de découverte de Montréal.
