* Photo: Fairmont
Karen Burshtein
Canadian Geographic
A castle with turrets on a hill overlooking a mighty river and a quaint old town: it does strike a pose. Little wonder, then, that the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City claims to be the most photographed hotel in the world. In this time of ubiquitous smartphone cameras and social media posts, that’s a difficult claim to quantify. What isn’t in doubt, though, is the hotel’s place in the Canadian passport (check page 24) and in the pages of history.
The grand railway hotel, which this year celebrates its 125th anniversary, has borne witness to some notable moments in Canadian politics and pop culture. Even its location is significant: it was built on the site of the 1864 Quebec Conference, where the fathers of Confederation met to continue hammering out the British North America Act. Here’s a look back at some other historic happenings in the life of the Château Frontenac.
