Rideau Canal World Heritage Site - World Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

The Rideau Canal, a monumental early 19th-century construction covering 202 km of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers from Ottawa south to Kingston Harbour on Lake Ontario, was built primarily for strategic military purposes at a time when Great Britain and the United States vied for control of the region. The site, one of the first canals to be designed specifically for steam-powered vessels, also features an ensemble of fortifications. It is the best-preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America, demonstrating the use of this European technology on a large scale. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century to remain operational along its original line with most of its structures intact.

Outstanding Universal Value
The Rideau Canal is a large strategic canal constructed for military purposes which played a crucial contributory role in allowing British forces to defend the colony of Canada against the United States of America, leading to the development of two distinct political and cultural entities in the north of the American continent, which can be seen as a significant stage in human history.

Criterion (i): The Rideau Canal remains the best preserved example of a slackwater canal in North America demonstrating the use of European slackwater technology in North America on a large scale. It is the only canal dating from the great North American canal-building era of the early 19th century that remains operational along its original line with most of its original structures intact.

Criterion (iv): The Rideau Canal is an extensive, well preserved and significant example of a canal which was used for a military purpose linked to a significant stage in human history - that of the fight to control the north of the American continent.

The nominated property includes all the main elements of the original canal together with relevant later changes in the shape of watercourses, dams, bridges, fortifications, lock stations and related archaeological resources. The original plan of the canal, as well as the form of the channels, has remained intact. The Rideau Canal has fulfilled its original dynamic function as an operating waterway without interruption since its construction. Most of its lock gates and sluice valves are still operated by hand-powered winches.

All the elements of the nominated area (canal, associated buildings and forts) are protected as national historic sites under the Historic Sites and Monuments Act 1952-3. A buffer zone has been established. Repairs and conservation of the locks, dams, canal walls and banks are carried out directly under the control of Parks Canada. Each year one third of the canal's assets are thoroughly inspected by engineers. A complete inventory thus exists of the state of conservation of all parts of the property. A Management Plan exists for the canal (completed in 1996 and updated in 2005), and plans are nearing completion for Fort Henry and the Kingston fortifications. The Canal Plan is underpinned by the Historic Canals Regulations which provide an enforcement mechanism for any activities that might impact on the cultural values of the monument.



Skate through the heart of downtown Ottawa on the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Skateway is 7.8 kilometres long, and begins just steps from Canada’s Parliament Buildings. The scenic skating rink extends to Dows Lake, where you’ll find an outdoor art gallery on the ice! In between, warm up at rest areas, where there are toasty fires, hot drinks and tasty snacks.

When the temperature drops this winter, it’s time to celebrate! A cold snap is exactly what’s needed to create the Rideau Canal Skateway. Typically, the Skateway opens in January and, in February, many activities take place on the frozen canal during Winterlude.

Type: Natural Reference number: ttp://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221

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Date Logged Log User Rating   12/29/2023 Ariberna visited it 05/25/2022 Babushka_Qc visited it 03/18/2022 blackjack65 visited it 02/17/2022 sm07 visited it 09/03/2019 Lynx Humble visited it 03/04/2019 Duodenfer_ visited it 08/27/2018 Lucky_Al visited it 07/03/2017 Bon Echo visited it 09/03/2016 Timo Explorer visited it 08/14/2016 ToRo61 visited it 05/24/2016 delisles visited it 05/22/2016 navy30000 visited it 06/24/2015 lyturmel visited it 03/01/2015 mTn_biKer65 visited it 09/06/2014 Cyrano-Bella visited it 07/24/2014 W1zz visited it 07/24/2014 W1zz visited it 07/22/2014 lotusfire visited it 04/21/2014 Loonwatcher visited it 01/22/2014 PatrickValerie visited it 12/26/2013 K'J' visited it 09/19/2013 penguins42 visited it 09/11/2013 lindeye visited it 08/09/2013 dieSulzer visited it 08/06/2013 Graham-Crunch visited it

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