Underground City Montreal The Largest Underground Complex In The World
Underneath It All
The weather is a harsh mistress in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The natives have fought back by establishing a modern wonder,
Montreal's Underground City. The underground, as the locals call it, is a remarkable pedestrian network of train stations,
shops, hotels, restaurants, museums, and more, under downtown Montreal.
The underground city got its start in 1962 with the building of the Place Ville-Marie office tower and underground shopping
mall. That first mall connected to Central Station (subway) and the Queen Elizabeth Hotel via tunnels. Since then the
underground has grown to more than twenty-two miles of pedestrian walkways.
Residents of Montreal are extremely proud of their "inside city" (not all of it is underground), the largest underground
complex in the world. There are more than 150 access points to the subterranean city and more than 60% of the businesses
in downtown connect to the underground. Over 500,000 people traverse the belowground pedestrian walkways and subways of
Montreal each day. Several residential towers connect to the underground as well, allowing some locals to go from home to
work to play without ever going outside.
Some of the most stunning features of the underground complex are the subway stations. Each station is, literally, a work
of art. When the subway was built 1% of the budget for each station was devoted to procuring and displaying art in the
underground. A different architect designed each station in a different style and no two stations are the same.
A number of well-known tourist spots in Montreal are accessible from the underground city. Things to check out without
going out include Olympic Park and the Olympic Centre (built for the 1976 Olympics); the Place des Artes, home to the
Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal); and Molson Centre, home of Montreal's
hockey team, the Canadiens.
The Ultimate Disney World Saving
“See How Easily You Can
Have A Disney World Vacation For A
Fraction Of What Others Pay”
You Don't Have To Be Rich To Have An Extravagant Disney World Vacation!
