The Citadelle of Québec

The Citadelle of Québec is an irregular, star-shaped fortress perched high on the rocky promontory of Cap Diamant. Its massive, low-lying grey stone walls and angular bastions, designed in the style of military engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, follow the natural contours of the cliff to overlook the St. Lawrence River. While it was constructed by the British between eighteen twenty and eighteen thirty-one to secure the city against potential American invasion, the fortress never actually faced an attack.