Ramparts of Quebec City
fortified walls surrounding the old city of Quebec, Canada
The ramparts of Quebec City (French: Fortifications de Québec) is a city wall that surrounds the western end of Old Quebec's Upper Town in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The ramparts date back to the 17th century, with the ramparts having undergone a succession of modifications and improvements throughout their history. The city walls extend 4.6 kilometres (2.9 mi), with the southern portions of the ramparts forming a part of the Citadelle of Quebec.
The ramparts were first built in 1690 in order to defend the Upper Town of Quebec City. In 1745, the walls were rebuilt further west, modelled after designs created by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry. The ramparts withstood several sieges during the mid-18th century, with British forces holding out in the walled city during the French siege of Quebec in 1760, and the American siege of Quebec in 1775. From the 1820s to 1830s, the British expanded and improved the ramparts and the rest of the city's defensive network. However, by the late 19th century, several deteriorating facilities associated with Quebec City's fortifications were demolished, although the primary defences remained.
The city's defence complex, including its ramparts, were designated as the Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site in 1948. In addition to the ramparts, the national historic site also includes the Citadelle and the Lévis Forts.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ramparts of Quebec City” as fortified walls surrounding the old city of Quebec, Canada. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as fortified walls surrounding the old city of Quebec, Canada. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q27675579. Authority coordinates are 46.810, -71.212. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1690, 1745, 1760 and 1775.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
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- Expand the search: follow Ramparts of Quebec City primary sources, Ramparts of Quebec City archive and Ramparts research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Ramparts of Quebec City” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.