Louisbourg - Geography.

Louisbourg - Geography. Louisbourg, former town on Cape Breton Island in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. Louisbourg was the site of an important fortress in New France during the 18th century. Today the restored fortress and its surroundings form Canada's largest national historic site, and the settlement is a center for fishing, fish processing, and tourism. Louisbourg (spelled Louisburg from 1758 to 1966) had its own mayor and town council from 1901 to 1995. In 1995 eight towns in Cape Breton County were incorporated into the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, which is run by a popularly elected council consisting of a mayor and 21 councillors. The modern settled area of Louisbourg is located on the northeastern side of Louisbourg harbor. The reconstructed Fortress of Louisbourg is on the original site of the town, on the harbor's southwestern side. About 20 percent of the 18th-century fortified town now stands as it did in 1744. Within the reconstructed Fortress of Louisbourg, ramparts, streets, and households recreate the look and feel of an 18th-century town. Approximately 60 buildings have been reconstructed, including the massive King's Bastion, which at the time of its construction in the early 18th century was one of the largest buildings in North America. The King's Bastion contains the governor's apartments, the chapel, and the soldier's barracks. Other buildings include civilian houses, a garrison bakery, storehouses, powder magazines, and guardhouses. Although French fishermen began coming to Cape Breton Island in the 16th century, the French did not settle permanently at Louisbourg until the early 18th century. In 1713 the French founded the colony of Isle Royale, which included Cape Breton and Prince Edward islands; the capital of the new colony was Louisbourg, named for French King Louis XIV. In 1717 the French began construction of the Fortress of Louisbourg, the largest fortress of its type in North America. Louisbourg's massive fortification, based on the geometric style of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, was intended to resist attack from the sea. Louisbourg, however, was vulnerable to attack from the rear. In 1745, during King George's War, Louisbourg was captured by a force of 4,000 New Englanders. The fortress was later returned to the French by the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, but Louisbourg was conquered again in 1758 by a British force of 27,000 troops during the Seven Years' War, a worldwide conflict that was called the French and Indian War in its North American phase. After capturing the fortress, the British blew up the fortifications and removed their garrison from the town. By 1785 there were only about 1,500 people remaining on all of Cape Breton Island. Contributed By: Kenneth Donovan Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.