Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

- Queen Street, Cenotaph, Prince of Wales Hotel, Niagara River, Old Court House Theatre

The center of the wine district in Canada is Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small city with only 15 400 inhabitants, right next to Lake Ontario and Niagara River. It borders Niagara Falls to the South. This is where the nation of Canada was born. The War of 1812 took place here, later leading to the independence of Canada. The town, then called Newark, was incorporated in 1792, is home to the Shaw festival (dedicated to the poet Bernard Shaw) and is considered the most beautiful city in Canada by many, due to its historical character. Most historical structures, like the iconic Cenotaph (a red brick clock tower memorial to the War of 1812), are situated around Queen Street, the main street. The Cenotaph is probably the town's most wellknown structure. The Shaw statue, Prince of Wales Hotel, Moffat Hotel, The Old Court House Theatre and several small churches can all be found here, as well as many cafés, candy stores, clothes stores and souvenir shops. King Street and Market Street are other major streets. Niagara-on-the-Lake is the only town in Canada that has a lord mayor (a title of UK mayors). The town is filled with red brick wooden white historical buildings. There is a popular Ghost Walk in the town.

Since Niagara-on-the-Lake is the center of the wine district, many vineyards can be found in and around the city. There are also beaches at the lakefront. The town has several National Historic Sites of Canada within its boundaries, some examples are; Fort George and its battlefield, Fort Mississauga, St. Mark's Church (oldest Anglican church in Ontario, built 1791), St. Vincent de Paul (oldest Catholic church in Ontario, built 1826) and McFarland House from ca. 1800, Niagara-on-the-Lake's oldest building.

In June 2016, we made a guided daytrip from Toronto to Niagara Falls. A half an hour short stop to Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake was made, including a taste of the for the region so famous ice vine, and some free time in the city of Niagara Falls was included. We passed by the place where the battle of Canada with the United States took place in 1812.