Canadian War Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Canadian War Museum (French: Le Musée canadien de la guerre), located in Ottawa, Ontario, is a Canadian museum that honours Canada's veterans and commemorates the wars and conflicts in which Canada has taken part. The museum is part of the Museum of Civilization Corporation, which also operates the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Children's Museum and the Canadian Postal Museum.
The Canadian War Museum traces the history of conflict from a Canadian perspective, from pre-Columbian times in Canada to the Gulf War and Canada's participation in peacekeeping efforts. The museum has an extensive collection of artifacts and war art, although one of the most popular exhibits remains Hitler's personal Mercedes limousine.
Contents |
[edit] History
The museum originated in 1880 as a collection of military artifacts in the possession of the Canadian federal government, organized by militia officers of the Ottawa garrison. Its first facility was a series of rooms in the Cartier Square Drill Hall, and eventually the collection fell under the auspices of the Public Archives of Canada. The museum was officially established in 1942, but it did not enjoy its own dedicated facility until 1967 when it moved to the former Public Archives building on Sussex Drive in Ottawa, located between the Royal Canadian Mint and the (then) future site of the National Gallery of Canada. This location was quite small and much of the museum's collection had to be stored at a west-end warehouse known as Vimy House, which was formerly Ottawa's streetcar garage. The Sussex Drive facility and Vimy House were closed to the public in September 2004.
[edit] New building
In the 1990s, the government made plans to relocate the War Museum to a new site east of central Ottawa, near the Canada Aviation Museum. The proposed site was criticized for its distance from downtown and most of the National Capital Region's other attractions. A new, more prominent location was chosen at Lebreton Flats, along the Ottawa River, just to the west of Parliament Hill and other national institutions. The new location also allowed for ceremonial processions between the National War Memorial and the new War Museum.
The new facility was opened with much fanfare in May 2005. The new, modern building, subject to much architectural acclaim, emerges eastward from the ground, with textured concrete reminiscent of a bunker, but with rooftop gardens consistent with the museum's theme of regeneration. The building rises to a large fin, clad in copper that matches the rooftops of other prominent public buildings in the capital. The small windows on the fin spell out Lest we forget (in English) and N'oublions jamais (in French) using Morse code. The copper used on the interior of the building is from the roof of the Library of Parliament, which itself was refurbished in 2004.
The new museum has enjoyed substancial attendance and won praise from many circles. However starting in 2005, the Museum was subject to a protest campaign by some veterans who objected to a single panel in the World War Two exhibit which presents the controversy over the usefulness and human cost of strategic bombing in World War Two.
[edit] Exhibit Galleries
While mostly all on one floor, and all organized in a continuous path, the museum is divided into four identifiable galleries.
[edit] Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour
[edit] Gallery 1: Battleground
This gallery looks at the earliest wars Canada was involved in, many of which were pre-Confederation. Beginning with First Peoples Warfare, it highlights New Alliances between the Natives and Europeans, the resultant Clash of Empires, The American Revolution, The War of 1812, and finally Conflict and Confederation.
At the end of the Clash of Empires displays, a movie called the Battle for Canada illustrates warfare in the time period, with three narrators reacting to the events as if they were part of a televised hockey game. The three viewers make comments on behalf of the British (represented by an actor wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey), the French (Montreal Canadiens), and Aboriginal Canadians (Vancouver Canucks, whose logo design is like Haida art).
[edit] Gallery 2: For Crown and Country
The museum progresses chronologically into the period from 1885 to 1931, beginning with The South African War. The First World War is introduced, leading into The Western Front, In the Trenches, Vimy, Passchendale, Costly Victory, and Aftermath.
There are two films playing constantly in this gallery. One is on Vimy, while the other looks at the aftermath. Highlighting the dark, mucky, and dangerous conditions faced during trench warfare is a simulation. Those with ancestors who served in the First World War can view records of health inspection on a computer system; as of summer 2006, the scanning project had only reached surnames starting with "C".
[edit] Gallery 3: Forged in Fire
Just as The Rise of Dictators started the era leading to the Second World War, this gallery looking at 1931-1945 begins with Adolf Hitler (whose personal limousine is on display), Mussolini, and Tojo. Continuing through the gallery, visitors learn about The Battle of the Atlantic, Japan Strikes in the Pacific, The Home Front, Dieppe, The Air War, Italy and Normandy, both of which are created in detailed lifesize displays, Liberation and Victory, and Homecoming.
In the midst of the Normandy display is The Lookout onto LeBreton Gallery.
[edit] Gallery 4: A Violent Peace
Spanning 1945 to present day, A Violent Peace begins with Welcome Home, showing the rise of suburban Canada. From World War to Cold War, Korea, NATO, NORAD, U.N. Peacekeeping, The Cold War at Home, Cold War Twilight, and The Savage Wars of Peace all are featured. Short films play continuously regarding both peacekeeping and modern conflicts, the latter covering events as recent as the September 11, 2001 attacks and the fall of Saddam Hussein. The NATO exhibit includes a simulation game, and visitors can also take a self-guided physical to compare their stamina to military requirements.
[edit] Regeneration Hall
"An architecture of hope"[1]
[edit] LeBreton Gallery
"The military technology collection",[1] numerous land vehicles are on display in this lower level section.
The collection is quite large and, except where the damage to the vehicle is intended to be part of the display, in excellent condition. The pieces on display include:
- two variants of Leopard tank
- a Chieftain tank
- a BMP infantry fighting vehicle
- an Iltis 'battlefield taxi' in which Canadian peacekeepers were wounded
- an M114 armoured personnel carrier
- several Sherman tank variants
- an M3 Lee
- a Valentine tank, recovered from a river in Russia during the Second World War
- a T-34
- a Panzer II
- a Jagdpanzer IV
- numerous assorted artillery pieces, including pieces from the Boer War, First World War, Second World War, and naval artillery
- a CF-101 Voodoo mounted above the hall on a pedestal
- a robot weather station planted by German u boats in Labrador in World War Two
- a German mini submarine
[edit] Military History Research Centre
While not part of the main tourist experience, the Research Centre provides a wealth of information for those wanting to study Canadian warfare in greater depth. Due to its nature, the centre's hours are comparatively limited.
[edit] Other facilities
Some facilities of note exist beyond the main ticketed exhibition hall.
Large, minimalistically bare, square, and soundproof, the Memorial Hall is somewhat hidden within the lobby, and receives relatively little visitor traffic. The museum describes it as "a space for quiet remembrance". Inside the Hall is the headstone of the Unknown Soldier. On Remembrance Day at 11:00 a.m., sunlight refracts through a single window directly on to the headstone.[1] A theatre onsite plays war movies. One wall outside the theatre features a collection of war art.
The museum also has a dining patio and indoor cafeteria (similar in appearance and name to a military mess hall) managed by Chartwells, boutique, and ateliers. There is a group entrance, the main "Vimy Entrance", and a river entrance facing the Ottawa River. Washrooms are ecologically friendly; partially filtered river water is used to flush toilets. Signs inform visitors to not be alarmed by the yellow tint to the water. All other public water supplies in the building are provided by the City of Ottawa's normal piping.
[edit] Storage and Conservation
The Museum has state of the art storage and conservation facilities that bring the entire collection of the War Museum together in one building for the first time in many decades. Several conservation workshops include a special vehicle and large weapons workshop and a loading bay which can slowly adjust the temperature and humidity of an entire 60 foot trailer.
[edit] Museum directors
The three most recent directors of the War Museum are:
- Victor Suthren 1986–1998
- Jack Granatstein 1998–2000
- Joe Geurts 2000–
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- Moriyama, Raymond. In Search of a Soul: Designing and Realizing the Canadian War Museum, (Douglas & McIntyre: Vancouver, 2006). (ISBN 1-55365-207-X)
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Moriyama + Teshima Architects: The Canadian War Museum Architecture
- Canadian War Museum Photos of exhibits in the Canadian War Museum
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Street map from Mapquest or Google Maps
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Topographical map from Maptech
|
|
|
|---|---|
| National Gallery of Canada Corporation: | National Gallery of Canada | Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography |
| Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation: | Canadian Museum of Civilization | Canadian Postal Museum | Canadian Children's Museum | Virtual Museum of New France | Canadian War Museum |
| Canadian Museum of Nature Corporation: | Canadian Museum of Nature |
| Canada Science and Technology Museum Corporation: | Canada Science and Technology Museum | Canada Agriculture Museum | Canada Aviation Museum |
