Nova Scotia
Geographical Location:
45,12° N – 64,32° W
Grand-Pré is the emotional and spiritual centre for the Acadian people, and the most important lieu de la mémoire
 © Gaudet, F. |
Grand-Pré consists of archaeological sites from the 17th to the 20th centuries, evolved cultural landscapes, and commemorative sites associated with the homeland of the Acadian people. It is pre-eminently associated with the Acadian way of life, notably the dyked marshland that Acadians reclaimed from the sea and developed into the granary of all Acadie, and with the tragic forced removal and subsequent migrations of the Acadians to eastern Canada, the Anglo-American colonies, Spanish Louisiana, the West Indies, South America, and Europe, thus creating un pays sans frontières. Remnants of the 17th and 18th century Acadian landscape, plus 20th century memorials to the Acadian people, today speak to a society’s ascent, destruction and revival.