Shawinigan

Half way between Québec’s two main cities, Montréal and Québec City, the Mauricie region features both hundreds of miles of lakes, rivers, mountains and forests and significant industry, including hydroelectricity – thanks to the abundance of water. Shawinigan is one of its more substantial cities. It’s a handy jumping-off point for exploring La Mauricie National Park, a vast and mountainous park of some 544 square kilometers (210 square miles). Two of Shawinigan’s claims to fame are ecclesiastical in nature. In Shawinigan-Sud, a residential community to the south, Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Présentation has been deemed a national historic site ...

Half way between Québec’s two main cities, Montréal and Québec City, the Mauricie region features both hundreds of miles of lakes, rivers, mountains and forests and significant industry, including hydroelectricity – thanks to the abundance of water. Shawinigan is one of its more substantial cities. It’s a handy jumping-off point for exploring La Mauricie National Park, a vast and mountainous park of some 544 square kilometers (210 square miles). Two of Shawinigan’s claims to fame are ecclesiastical in nature. In Shawinigan-Sud, a residential community to the south, Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Présentation has been deemed a national historic site as it houses the final work produced by Ozias Leduc, a 20th-century artist who specialized in religious paintings. In the city of Shawinigan, Église St-Pierre de Shawinigan displays the work of Italian artist Guido Nincheri – considered one of North America’s greatest church artists – including ten magnificent stained-glass windows. Another city attraction is a state-of-the-art theme park, Cité de l´énergie, which presents exhibitions on energy sources and related issues.

About the Expert

Joanna Ebbutt is the author or editor of three Insight Guides to Toronto and Canada, and coauthor of Off the Beaten Track: Western Canada. She has been writing about travel for three decades, including chasing the aurora borealis in Northern Ontario.