16 Feb The Casse-Cou staircase of Québec city

The Casse-Cou staircase of Québec city

It was at the end of the eighth century that the staircase Casse-Cou was builded under the control of the French colonial authorities. The date of the exact construction does not have a quorum among the historian specialists of the City of Quebec, but the construction would be between 1685 and 1689.

Originally close to the Fort Saint-Louis area, the ancestor of the Château Frontenac, a dirt road, linked the mount côte-de-la-Montagne, formerly a trail designed by Samuel de Champlain to Quebec City’s that was leading to the Lower Town. From then on, a wooden staircase was built at that time and it was commonly called the staircase of the Lower Town. The inhabitants adopted it immediately and a “boom” real estate followed along the path so commonly borrowed by the citizens. An anecdote of the time concerning the frequent use of the staircase is that in 1698 the Sovereign Council of New France was obliged to issue an ordinance promulgating the prohibition to the inhabitants to use the staircase with their livestock.

Later known as the Champlain staircase, the pedestrian crossing no longer suits the needs of Québec City to the growing population. We are then in 1893 when the municipal corporation decides to replace the staircase of wood how has become outdated by a staircase of metallic structure.

Since then, the staircase has been redo in 1968 and at the dawn of the year 2000 in 1999.

We’ve had to wait until 1879 for the installation of the funicular, this elevator which is still in service today.