Holocaust Monument

 The National Holocaust Monument was opened several years ago on Lebreton Flats to commemorate the millions killed during World War Two by the Nazis. It is a collaborative effort, with stark, angled architecture entirely appropriate to its theme.

Down through one entrance we go.

Contemporary photographs by the Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky are etched onto the walls. At left here is Hiding Place, Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, Poland. At right is Prayer Room, Theresienstadt, Czech Republic.

Stepping into an antechamber gives us a space of reflection, with a memorial flame in an alcove on the wall.

Stepping back out of this space brings us to the next of the Burtynsky photos. Abandoned Railbed, Treblinka, Poland shows how nature is gradually reclaiming the path to the Treblinka death camp.

Here we have Track 17, Berlin, Germany. This was the departure point for many Jews and others to death camps during the war.

Fence, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland is the most haunting of these photographs.

Site Of Death March, Near Mauthausen, Austria depicts a quiet scene today. In the dying days of the war, in an attempt to hide their crimes, the Nazis forced prisoners to march out from the camps towards territories still in German hands. 20 000 sick and weakened Jewish prisoners passed by here in the last days of the war; those who were unable to keep up were shot and left in the ditches.

A series of panels goes into detail about the Holocaust.

A look from here towards the staircase heading to the upper level.

Up here the monument is aligned to look towards the Peace Tower, visible in the distance at a gap in the trees.

A look down from here at the monument.

And a closing shot today from the west entrance. This monument is a sobering, haunting one, and well suited to its purpose.

For The Brotherhood

 My next destination was the Canadian Firefighters Memorial, which stands in the Lebreton Flats area west of the Portage Bridge. Dedicated in 2012, it memorializes Canadian firefighters who have died in the line of duty or of workplace related illnesses.

At one entrance, the Firefighters Prayer is inscribed in English and French.

The Memorial is a collaborative effort of monument architecture and landscape architecture, with shrubs and buses deliberately chosen to complement the imposing wall. A large statue of a firefighter is erected on the grounds beside a large fire pole.

The wall is inscribed with names of each firefighter over the country's history who have given their lives in the line of duty, each organized by province and territory from where they were based. At this point, all provinces and territories are represented with the name of at least one firefighter. The more populous provinces have many names. Each year more names are added, and in September a ceremony is held here honouring those newly added to the wall. I have attended the ceremony on several occasions.

A look from the west. The shrubs and bushes chosen for the landscaping are often the first to regenerate after forest fires. Many of them occupy a slope leading up to the main wall.

And a look over to the neighbouring monument and the Canadian War Museum beyond it.

Richmond Landing

 A few days ago on a day with cooler temperatures than those before, I set out for a walk to photograph a few places and fill out the month. My first stop was Richmond Landing. This spot on the Ottawa River ascends through parkland up to the Portage Bridge and includes a monument. Veterans of the War of 1812 landed here following the war with their family and went inland, establishing the village of Richmond, which today has been amalgamated into the city of Ottawa. This pre-dated the building of the Rideau Canal, and so Richmond is older than the city it is now part of.

This is a first view of the monument, dedicated in 2012. It is the Royal Canadian Navy Monument.

This is a portion of the monument, with names of ships and navy establishments inscribed on a low wall curving around a navy yardarm flagpole.

The other part of the monument includes inscribed theatres of operations.

Turning around from the above shot gives us a view of the Ottawa River itself, with Parliament Hill downstream.

Turning to the left gives us this view of an old mill on Victoria Island. The river goes through a series of channels in this area, and Victoria Island is the largest of the islands here.

Right down at the tip of the Landing, and how more Canadian can a photograph get? Canada Geese basking in the water with the Hill and the Supreme Court as a backdrop.

I departed back up slope and noted this flower among the growth here. Any help on identifying it?

These views are from the Portage Bridge. From here I was heading onto the bridge for one of my twice a month shots of the river looking downstream before heading onto my next destination, which we'll see tomorrow.

The Courtyards

The Byward Market is known for its restaurants, and a number of them adjoin a series of courtyards that run through a portion of the neighbourhood. If you know the area these are easy to find, but if you're a first time visitor, these might be a challenge to locate, generally found through narrow passages and laneways. This is the first one.

The architecture here dates mostly to the 19th century, but where there is more recent architecture, it is done in a way that tends to blend in with the older buildings.

A passageway led back out to the next courtyard.

And beyond that, a laneway took me into this next one.

This courtyard is a blend of older and newer architecture that work quite well together.

At its heart is this large sculpture by Pauta Saila, an Inuit hunter and artist. It is appropriately titled Dancing Bear.

Art is also found in the next courtyard. Our Shepherds is the title of the blue sculpture on the ground, with two shepherds standing on two sheep facing each other. Hanging on the wall is the preserved facade of a house that gives this particular courtyard its name.

The last of the courtyards lies here. A glimpse of Notre Dame Basilica can be seen beyond it.

An angel, appropriately, faces the Basilica at this entrance to the courtyards.