An Indian village discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1553, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is one of Montreal’s oldest neighbourhoods.

A short drive from downtown Montreal, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is proud of its industrial and working-class roots, a pride confirmed by the many guided tours offered in this area of the city. It is also proud of its architectural heritage: reconverted factories, imposing churches and public buildings in the “Arts deco” style (Château Dufresne Museum).

Exceptional sites dedicated to sciences and the environment are also to be found in this borough.

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is a very important attraction pole for recreation and tourism, with the Olympic park, its canvas-roofed stadium and sports facilities. A few minutes away one can find the Biodome; this unique museum is an oasis in the heart of the city which allows visitors to walk through replicas of four ecosystems found in the America, that is, the lush and humid Tropical Forest, warm even in the depths of a Montréal winter, the Laurentian Forest, changing with the seasons, the St. Lawrence Marine ecosystem, replicating the Estuary and the Gulf and the Polar Worlds of the Arctic and Antarctic. All the exhibits are housed inside the vélodrome (cycling stadium) used for the cycling and judo events of the Montreal 1976 Summer Olympics.

The Olympic park offers visitors a spectacular panorama from the top of the Stadium Tower, the world’s highest leaning tower, reached by funicular. The Olympic Stadium (often referred to as “The Big O”) is also the privileged host of large-scale events, e.g.: sporting events, concerts, trade shows.