1736, 2572 CANADA (Québec) - Historic District of Old Québec (UNESCO WHS)

1736 Historic District of Old Québec - Château Frontenac in nowadays

Posted on 12.07.2015, 23.05.2016
Founded in 1608 by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America, being also the only North American city to have preserved its ramparts, together with the numerous bastions, gates and defensive works which still surround Old Quebec. The Upper Town, built on the cliff, has remained the religious and administrative centre, with its churches, convents and other monuments like the Dauphine Redoubt, La Citadelle and Château Frontenac. Together with the Lower Town, developed around the Place Royale and the harbour, it forms an urban ensemble, the Historic District of Old Québec, which is one of the best examples of a fortified colonial city.

2573 Historic District of Old Québec - Château Frontenac in 1930's

The narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River proximate to the city's promontory, Cap-aux-Diamants (Cape Diamond), and Lévis, on the opposite bank, provided the name given to the city, Kébec, an Algonquin word meaning "where the river narrows". It was the capital of New France and, after 1760, of the new British colony. The construction of a citadel at the far south-east end of Cap-aux-Diamants by the engineer Elias Durnford from 1819 to 1831 and the expansion of the system of fortifications were in keeping with the original spatial organization of the city and gave Québec its current topographical features.

The oldest quarters are located in the Lower City in the vicinity of the Place Royale, which along with the Rue Notre Dame is lined with old 17th- and 18th-century houses. Notre-Dame des Victoires Church, which was built starting in 1688 according to Claude Baillif's plans and which was burned down during the siege of 1759, was rebuilt during the English domination. Of the 700 old civil or religious buildings remaining, 2% date back to the 17th century, 9% to the 18th century and 43% to the first half of the 19th century. At the same time, the city took on its present aspect, which was greatly influenced by the Baillairgés, a dynasty of architects who, for several generations, imposed an interesting interpretation of the neoclassical style.

Quebec City's skyline is dominated by the Château Frontenac Hotel, perched on top of Cap-Diamant. It was designed by architect Bruce Price, as one of a series of "château" style hotels built during the late 19th and early 20th centuries for the Canadian Pacific Railway company. It was named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The newer portions of the hotel - including the central tower (1924) - were designed by Canadian architect William Sutherland Maxwell. The hotel is beside the Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace), a walkway along the edge of the cliff, offering beautiful views of the Saint Lawrence River.

About the stamps
On the postcard 1736

The stamps are part of a series released on 13 September 2013 to honor the seven Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) teams. The stamps feature iconic jerseys - then and now - of these teams. All the stamps have the same face value, 63c:
• Montreal Canadiens - The stamp depicts a current jersey as well as one from 1946, which shows some minor differences in detail but still proudly bears the "CH" crest that generations of Canadiens fans have come to recognize - It's on the postcard 1736
• Ottawa Senators - On their stamp, the Senators’ player sports a current team jersey, while a spectator in the stands shows his enthusiasm for the Senators in a 1992 jersey, the first uniform worn by the current-era team - It's on the postcard 1736
• Toronto Maple Leafs - In the Maple Leafs’ commemorative stamp, the player on the ice wears the current jersey, and the fan sports a vintage look from 1967, Canada’s centennial year - It's on the postcard 1736
• Winnipeg Jets - With its fourth stamp since November 2011, this issue features the team’s current home and away jerseys inspired by its beloved name and the community’s special relationship with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
• Edmonton Oilers - On this stamp, the player on the ice wears the Oilers’ current uniform and a fan in the stands wears a vintage jersey from 1979, the year the team joined the NHL.
• Calgary Flames - In this commemorative stamp, the Flames player shows off the club’s current uniform, while a fan proudly models his team’s first jersey, which dates back to 1980 - It's on the postcard 0861
• Vancouver Canucks - The jerseys depicted on the commemorative stamp include the current one, seen sported by the player on the ice, and the 1997 version, worn by a cheering fan.

Ice hockey has been a key element of Canada's cultural and social history. The NHL is a professional ice hockey league composed of 30 member clubs: 23 in the United States and 7 in Canada. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.

On the postcard 2572
The first stamp is part of a definitive series with butterflies, about which I wrote here. The second stamp is part of the series Beneficial Insects, about which I wrote here.

On the postcard is also an old stamp, part of the series of definitive stamps depicting King George VI and issued in 1937-1938. 

This is a post for Sunday Stamps II-30, run by Violet Sky from See It On A Postcard. The theme of this week is: Sporting events. Click here to visit Violet’s blog and all the other participants.

References
Quebec City - Wikipedia
Old Quebec - Wikipedia
Château Frontenac - Wikipedia
Historic District of Old Québec - UNESCO official website

Sender 1736: Jason Thomson (direct swap)
Sent from Ottawa (Ontario / Canada), on 01.01.2014
Sender 2572: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 15.11.2015
Can be seen also a postmark from August 7, 1940 (Trois-Rivières / Quebec)