Beautiful Toronto [antikvár]

It was April 27th, 1813, and Britain was at war with the United States of America. A small fleet of American ships was on its way to attack the town ofYork, capital ofUpper Canada, as Ontario was then known, and an important naval yard. The outnumbered British troops tried to repel the attack, but by the end of the day the Americans were in control. Virtually nothing remains of the York that fell to the Americans in 1813. Between the railway tracks and the highway, however, are the restored buildings of Old Fort York. It is now manned by staffin period costume who help recreate the life of an early-19th century garrison. Since those early days increasingly large numbers of immigrants have found their way to Toronto, not only from within Canada but from around the globe. The population rapidly increased until it reached its present figure of some three million, turning Toronto into the bustling city of vitality we know today. Many of those immigrants brought with them their own cultures, lending colour and change to the city as a whole, and different outlooks on life spread throughout Toronto, so that it gradually changed its appellation from 'The Good', to 'People City'. It is to this Toronto, the city of cosmopolitan tastes and mixed cultures, that the great landmarks and buildings belong. The CN Tower was completed in 1975 as part of a building boom that has transformed the city skyline in the last two decades. On three man-made islands off the shore of Lake Ontario has been constructed Ontario Place, the city's most important leisure complex, covering a total of 90 acres. On the shore beside Ontario Place are the Exhibidon Grounds. It is here that the Canadian National Exhibidon is held each year. The Ex, as it is affectionately known, is billed as the largest annual exhibition in the world'and anyone who has attended it will find that easy to believe. It is certainly one of the most exciting events and attracts participants and visitors from across the country and around the world. The Ex has been staged since 1879 and seems to grow bigger and better each year as new attractions take their place alongside established favourites. Entertainment and interest can also be found in the various museums and galleries of the city. Toronto is rich in such attractions and counts itself fortunate that those responsible for the museums have decided that they should be fun, as well as interesdng and educational. The Royal Ontario Museum is possibly the finest of the institutions. It has recently undergone extensive renovation and remodelling which has extended its facilities to include such innovations as a toy-and-snack shop for children. The fun aspect of the museum does not, however, detract from its main purpose; it does, after all, house some 5,000,000 exhibits! A short distance from the museum stands Yorkville. This area ofVictorian houses and bricked-over sidewalks was once a rather disreputable section of the city before the massive renovation scheme got under way. Whilst keeping the original buildings around Yorkville Avenue, the developers smartened up the district and chic boutiques and fine restaurants soon opened, where the fashionable of the city could shop and dine. The scheme was most successful and Yorkville is now one of the places all visitors are recommended to visit. From the isolated, backwoods capital of York, which the Americans sacked so many years ago, Toronto has matured into a dynamic, cosmopolitan city which, whilst honouring its past, has its eye fixed fintnly on the future.