The Château Ramezay Museum was the first building proclaimed historical monument in Québec and is the province’s oldest private history museum. It is accredited by the Québec Ministry of Culture and Communications and counts the City of Montréal, the Arts Council of Montréal, Heritage Canada, and the Archives nationales du Québec among its partners.
The first building was constructed in 1705 and served as the residence of then-governor of Montréal, Claude de Ramezay. Over the years, the Château changed owners and functions several times, and was a witness to major historical events. General Richard Montgomery and Benjamin Franklin, among other personalities, are known to have visited the Château.
The Society’s collection grew mainly out of gifts from Montrealers who wanted to preserve their heritage. The collection is characterised by the richness, rarity and diversity of its items. Recently estimated at 30,000 objects, it can be subdivided into several categories including manuscripts, printed works, numismatic items, ethnological items, works of art, paintings, prints and furniture.
For more than 110 years, the Museum has presented history exhibitions and organised cultural, scientific and museological activities. From 1997 to 2002, thanks to an agreement on the cultural development of Montréal with the City of Montréal and the Québec Ministry of Culture and Communications, the Château Ramezay was the subject of extensive indoor and outdoor restorations. Its immediate surroundings were landscaped to create the Governor’s Garden, inaugurated in 2000.
The Museum has presented its newest permanent exhibition since 2002, illustrating the history of Montréal and Québec, from prehistory until the early 20th century. To this are added temporary exhibitions and an ‘Intercultural Sundays’ programme. Over the past few years, the museum has been awarded several prizes. Heritage Montréal granted the museum the 2001 Orange Prize for the creation of the Governor’s Garden. In 2002, the Société des Attraction Touristiques du Québec awarded its prize for the museum’s pamphlet in the category “printed matter, budget under $500,000.” In 2003, the Château Ramezay Museum earned the National Award of Excellence from the Landscape Architects of Canada. Finally, in 2003 and 2005, it was a finalist for the Ulysses prize awarded by Tourism Montréal in the category “Tourist attraction under 100,000 visitors."
Today, having greeted more than a million visitors, the Château Ramezay Museum continues its mission of conservation and education. Through its architecture, its historical nature, and its many and varied activities, it has become a major heritage attraction at the very heart of historical Old Montréal. Furthermore, for the past few years this masterpiece has been set off by a most befitting frame. The Governor’s Garden, designed in the 18th-century French style, is a testimony to times gone by. Three centuries after its construction, and despite everything it has gone through, the Château Ramezay is still dynamic and alive, honouring our history while remaining solidly anchored in present-day reality. Thanks to its volunteers, partners and all who work there, this unique institution continues to develop and maintain its essential role in our society.
