The Royal Government of Scotland and the Province of Nova Scotia welcome you heartily to the lovely Province of Nova Scotia. Site of the first settlement in North America, nova Scotia's fistFirst colonized by the French Acadiens in the 17th century, by the early 19th century the Province of Nova Scotia had become a haven for Scottish language and culture. In fact, this year Nova Scotia was given autonomous government inside the Kingdom of Scotland.
Most visitors to Nova Scotia will arrive, by boat, by rail, or by air, in the city of Halifax, capital of Nova Scotia and seat of its government. This picturesque port city, located on the Bedford Basin, one of the largest salt water harbours in the world, is known for its City Gardens, and for Government House, seat of the provincial assembly in the heart of the commercial district. On the shore opposite from Halifax is the town of Dartmouth, an industrial city home to thousands of Irish, Scottish, and Welsh immigrants who have maintained their traditional cultures. Come to the monthly ceilidhs!
One region of particular interest in Nova Scotia is the Gailtachtead -- the region including most of Cape Breton island and parts of northern Nova Scotia where speakers of Scottish Gaelic form a thriving population. The period of large-scale settlement in Nova Scotia by speakers of Gaelic occurred in the aftermath of the HIhgland Clearances of the 1820's and 1830's, yet Gaelic is still a thriving language in Nova Scotia, or Nuadh Alba as Gaelic-speakers call it. In Pictou, Guysborough, Baddeck, Louisbourg, and even Sydney, the second city of Nova Scotia, Gaelic culture thrives. St. Patrick's University in Sydney is home to the Gaelic Centre, which has an exhibition on the evolution of Gaelic culture in Scotland, Nova Scotia, and wherever else Gaels are found. Just as in Dartmouth, Celtic culture thrives at hundreds of special events at dozens of places throughout the Gaeltachtead.
Another region of interest is in the Southwest. Travel throughout the fertile Annapolis valley, the ancestral homeland of the Acadians, with its picturesque universiy town of Wolfville, and the fishing villages of the Acadians lining the St. Mary's Bay/Baie Sainte-Mary to the south of Annapolis. Travellers in this region will see a picturesque blend of the ancient with the modern.
See where the New World began in Nova Scotia this summer!
©1999 Royal Scottish Ministry of Tourism
The city of Strasbourg and the department of Bas-Rhin are, in many ways, at the centre of European culture. Founded by the Romans two millennia ago, Strasbourg and Bas-Rhin were incorporated into France under Louis XIV and have since become one of the most prosperous areas of Europe.
One of the best-known sites in the city of Strasbourg is the Cathedral of Strasbourg, built in the late Middle Ages and lovingly maintained by the Strasbourgeois since its construction. When there are no religious services, guides positioned at the south entrance will happily show visitors the renowned stained-glass window of the cathedral, and the nearby Château des Rohans, built for the Prince-Archbishop of Strasbourg in the 18th century. L'Ancienne Douane -- the old customs building, built in 1354 -- is a sterling example of medieval architecture.
Near the Petite-France quarter is the Congress of Strasbourg, built in 1881 to serve as a home for the Congress of Strasbourg, which ensures the century-long peace between nations on this Earth. Built in Second Empire style, the Congress and its adjoining, award-winning gardens are open for guided tours on weekdays. Adjoining the Congress of Strasbourg is the Secretariat of Europe, headquarters of the European League whose members include the French, Austrian, Brazillian, and Netherlando-British empires, and the lesser states of Spain, Catalonia, Sicily, Naples, Italy, Venetia, Switzerland, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Baden, Württemburg, Denmark, Norway-Sweden, and Bavaria.
East across the Rhine is the Grand Duchy of Baden and the Kingdom of Württemburg, two prosperous and important states of the upper Rhinish basin., while north of Strasbourg is the beautiful countryside of Bas-Rhin and Sarre. The ancient city of Saverne is a favoured attraction, and in September of 1870 was the site of the famous battle between French and North German forces that drove the North Germans across the Rhine.
©1999 Sécretariat impérial français pour le tourisme