Old Town Lunenburg

Hello Everyone,

We talk about the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, here in Lunenburg Nova Scotia, but we haven’t really said very much yet about the town of Lunenburg.

The community was founded in 1753. The first Lunenburgers were called Foreign Protestants by the British, who brought us here to settle the land.

Most of us spoke only German; we were from the same areas as those who became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. In fact, it was because the Pennsylvania Dutch were such good settlers that caused the British to advertise for more of them, approximately twenty years later!

If those first Lunenburgers could return today, there would be aspects of the community that would be familiar to them. Lunenburg is the only colonial settlement to have retained the grid pattern that was used by British military planners, when creating a new town or city. The architecture, mostly of wood, reflects the entire evolution of the town; there are buildings from the 1700s right through to the present time.

In 1995, UNESCO designated Old Town Lunenburg as a World Heritage Site. If you check the UNESCO link on this page, it will take you to more detailed information about the designation.

Most of all, though, Lunenburg is a vibrant, living community at the edge of the sea. We’re not trapped in a bell jar; time has not stood still in Lunenburg, although the chapters of our history have been carefully noted and preserved.

Lunenburg captures the essence of seafaring Atlantic Canada. Beauty, charm, industries and celebrations are in full abundance. The Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic is located on the historic waterfront, in Old Town Lunenburg.

Wishing you Smooth Sailing,
Heather