Almost every old city has a place that used to be an important strategic fortification. In Halifax, it's Citadel Hill. Previously, there were military fortifications. And now it is recognized as a National Historic Monument.

The British built four fortifications on Citadel Hill in 1749. During this time, Edward Cornwallis oversaw the development of Halifax and paid great attention to its protection. Therefore, gradually the number of structures on this territory increased. In 1800, an entire fortress appeared on the hill. It was named Fort George, after King George III. The main task of the new fortress was not only to protect the Halifax Port but also to build ships since the Royal Navy shipyards were located on its territory.

The fortress successfully coped with the tasks set. But, unfortunately, it was captured by American soldiers a couple of times. The Americans immediately began to strengthen it, completely ignoring the architectural features.

Frequent battles and weather conditions were not kind to the beautiful Victorian-style fortress. Fort George was almost destroyed in 1812. Only the powder magazine remained in its original form. Wooden barracks and dormitories for officers, blockhouses, and rooms for the guard – all this was almost completely destroyed. Therefore, most of the buildings on the territory of the fortress were carefully restored according to ancient drawings from documents stored on the territory of Fort George.

Fort George became a training base for Canadian troops in the 30s of the XX century. It was only in the 60s that the fortress became a military-historical museum. Today, there are interesting expositions that completely restore the life of soldiers from 1812 to 1945. The exhibitions show how ascetic and subject to a strict schedule and set of rules was their life.