The waterfront
Red buildings and timber wharves.
Edgar El — CC BY 3.0 · Nicole Bratt from Seattle, WA, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nicole Bratt from Seattle, WA, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · simpf — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nicole Bratt from Seattle, WA, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0
Lunenburg is a port town on the South Shore of Nova Scotia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. UNESCO calls it the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America, as it keeps its original layout and 19th-century appearance, with colourful wooden houses. The town was founded in 1753 as one of the first British attempts to settle Protestants in Nova Scotia, and named after the Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, who had become King George II. The Acadians called the site Mirliguèche. Its economy relied on the offshore fishery, and it prospered in the late 1800s, the period of many of its finest buildings. Red, yellow and blue houses and shops face the harbour, with timber wharves and fishing boats, and charming painted fish signs hang along the streets. The Smith & Rhuland shipyard built the famous schooner Bluenose here in 1921, followed by Bluenose II in 1963. Streets climb from the water among wooden houses and churches, with white spires rising above. It is 34 km in a straight line from Peggys Cove and 65 km from Halifax, so all three fit a road trip. Allow half a day to walk between the harbour and the upper town, as the streets climb. Some shops close in winter. The finest view of the town is from across the harbour.
Red buildings and timber wharves.
Hanging along the streets.
From the 19th century.
South Shore, Nova Scotia
UNESCO calls it the best example of planned British colonial settlement in North America.
The famous schooner was built here in 1921 at the Smith & Rhuland yard.