Canadian War Museum

Canadian War Museum Canada’s national museum for military history. Visit our website. Since its opening in 2005, the Museum has welcomed approximately 500,000 visitors every year.
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Canada’s national museum of military history and one of the world’s most respected museums for the study and understanding of armed conflict. Pour notre page Française : http://www.facebook.com/museedelaguerre

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The Museum traces its origins back to 1880, when it consisted primarily of a collection of militia artifacts. The Museum opened at its new location on the LeBreton

Flats site in downtown Ottawa on May 8, 2005. Its opening not only marked the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe (V-E Day) but also the 125th anniversary of the Museum itself. The Museum’s exhibition galleries and public programs have been designed to emphasize the human experience of war. The Canadian Experience Galleries present the military history of Canada from earliest times to present day, as well as Canada’s history of honouring and remembrance. Each gallery highlights defining moments in Canada’s military history and the ways in which past events have shaped the nation. The Museum’s collections are among the finest military holdings in the world, including rare vehicles, artillery, uniforms, medals, personal memoirs and 14,000 works in the Beaverbrook Collection of War Art. In total, the collection comprises more than 3 million artifacts, specimens, works of art, written documents and sound and visual recordings. The Military History Research Centre houses the George Metcalf Archival Collection and the Hartland Molson Library. These extensive collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada’s rich military history.

Travel through time and explore what Canadian soldiers ate, from the War of 1812 to the Afghanistan War. Families can to...
06/15/2026

Travel through time and explore what Canadian soldiers ate, from the War of 1812 to the Afghanistan War. Families can touch, learn, and take part in hands on activities that bring history to life. 📜🥫

Until June 30, taste history with samples of hardtack and lime cordial inspired by early military rations. 😄🍪🍋

It’s learning, exploring, and fun all in one visit.

Plan your experience: https://www.warmuseum.ca/events/battle-rations-from-hardtack-to-imps

June is National Indigenous History Month. This photograph shows three Blackfoot leaders who signed Treaty 7: Sitting Be...
06/12/2026

June is National Indigenous History Month. This photograph shows three Blackfoot leaders who signed Treaty 7: Sitting Behind Eagle Tail (Piikani), Crowfoot (Siksika), and Red Crow (Kainai).

Taken in 1884, it captures leaders whose decisions helped shape the future of the Prairies during a time of profound change.

Learn more in Close to Conflict: Canada and the American Civil War:
https://www.warmuseum.ca/exhibitions/canada-and-the-american-civil-war

📷 Blackfoot Chiefs who negotiated and signed Treaty 7
Left to right: Sitting Behind Eagle Tail (Piikani), Crowfoot (Siksika), Red Crow (Kainai)
Photographer unknown, 1884
Glenbow Library and Archives Collection CU1115353

06/11/2026

Safe to say, nobody stops listening after the first sentence. 👀

*Free admission does not include Napoleon – The Immersive Saga.

Stay too long, and you could be seen. ⚠️This field sign warned First World War soldiers that even in the cover of a tren...
06/10/2026

Stay too long, and you could be seen. ⚠️

This field sign warned First World War soldiers that even in the cover of a trench, movement could draw attention. Noise, a raised shovel, or the slightest disturbance could reveal a position to snipers or artillery.

A reminder that even below ground, there was no true safety.

Warning Field Sign
CWM 19390001-727

This International Archives Day, explore our online collections! 🔍🖼️📜Uncover unique archival documents and photographic ...
06/09/2026

This International Archives Day, explore our online collections! 🔍🖼️📜

Uncover unique archival documents and photographic materials, especially rich in content related to the First and Second World Wars.

Start your search now: https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/

Dog in cockpit of Curtiss JN-4 (CAN) Trainer
CWM 19800224-007

D-Day was only the beginning. 🌊 After the landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, Canadian forces fought through weeks of ...
06/08/2026

D-Day was only the beginning. 🌊

After the landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944, Canadian forces fought through weeks of fierce combat as part of the campaign to liberate Western Europe.

*Invasion! – Canadians and the Battle of Normandy, 1944* explores this pivotal chapter of the Second World War through powerful photographs and reproduced archival materials.

Explore the online exhibition:
https://www.warmuseum.ca/invasion/

20020045-1906 D-Day landing craft
20020045-1454 Canadian troops landing on D-Day

Want to play video games and earn volunteer hours while you do it? 🎮If you’re 14 to 17, join our virtual Youth Playtest ...
06/06/2026

Want to play video games and earn volunteer hours while you do it? 🎮

If you’re 14 to 17, join our virtual Youth Playtest Volunteer Team this fall and support the Canadian War Museum and Sheridan College in evaluating our brand-new online game. You’ll play games 🧠, share feedback 💬, and explore how games can bring history to life 📜➡️🎮

Join our info session on June 16 at 6:45 pm EDT to learn more! To receive the meeting link, express your interest to this email: [email protected].

No experience needed. Just curiosity, creativity, and your voice.

Watching the skies from deep underground. 🖥️This operator console was used at the Canadian Forces Base North Bay Undergr...
06/03/2026

Watching the skies from deep underground. 🖥️

This operator console was used at the Canadian Forces Base North Bay Underground Complex to monitor Canadian airspace. From 1963 to 2006, radar data flowed through systems like this, helping detect unknown or potentially hostile aircraft.

Hidden within the Canadian Shield, the facility was built to keep operating even during a nuclear attack.

AN/FYQ-93 Operator Console
CWM 20110104-001

Three figures. One moment of reflection. 🕊️In 1990, a national competition called for a monument honouring Canadian peac...
06/01/2026

Three figures. One moment of reflection. 🕊️

In 1990, a national competition called for a monument honouring Canadian peacekeepers. Artist Jack Kenneth Harman’s winning design, The Reconciliation, was unveiled in Ottawa in 1992.

This mock-up shows the original concept. The figures stand alert, reflecting the reality that peacekeeping is often dangerous work.

Mock-up – Jack Kenneth Harman
CWM 19960036-001

Shrapnel that once filled the air over Vimy Ridge. 💥During the First World War, these shells burst above the ground, sca...
05/30/2026

Shrapnel that once filled the air over Vimy Ridge. 💥

During the First World War, these shells burst above the ground, scattering metal balls called shrapnel across advancing infantry. This fragment, still holding some shrapnel balls, was recovered at Vimy in 1986.

A small piece of a devastating weapon.

CWM 19870249-001

Address

1 Vimy Place
Ottawa, ON
K1A0M8

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18005555621

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