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The Upper Town Market was held in front of Québec City’s Notre-Dame Basilica. In 1818, a 128-foot wooden hall was added to this gathering and trading place. It is shown here in a painting made around 1829. People from various local communities, including Indigenous people, met there.
1801 - 1832

Québec City’s marketplace in the early 19th century

The first market in Québec City opened in Place Royale in 1649. As the city’s population grew and the economy expanded, at least a dozen markets sprung up in the 19th century. These included the Place du Marché in Québec City’s Upper Town. This market became a strategic meeting place for town and country folk alike, to conduct business, stock up on goods and exchange the latest news. At first held out of doors, it eventually moved into an indoor market building. Ready to go shopping?

De la Fabrique Street and the basilica, Québec City

James Pattison Cockburn The Upper Town Market was held in front of Québec City’s Notre-Dame Basilica. In 1818, a 128-foot wooden hall was added to this gathering and trading place. It is shown here in a painting made around 1829. People from various local communities, including Indigenous people, met there.
Chronoscope Can you name the second church in this image? (unilingual French for a limited time) Source: Library and Archives Canada Document in the public domain (free of copyright) - Acc. No. R9266-119 - Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana - Date: 1829