The small town of Lunenburg in coastal Nova Scotia is bright, colourful, lively and lovely. And of special value to the common heritage of humanity. The town was added to the World Heritage list in 1995 as the best surviving example of a planned British colonial settlement in North America. Or, as UNESCO puts it:
Lunenburg is a remarkably well-preserved town, and one which retains most of the qualities of the original British model colonial settlement, without losing its status as a fully functioning community in the modern world.
“Somewhere on the East Coast of Canada”
In the centre of Lunenburg, we discovered a memorial to Camp Norway, a Norwegian navy training field during World War II. In the northern spring of 1940, more than 100 ships were on their way home from whaling season in Antarctica. Meanwhile, war had broken out and rather than go home to German-occupied Norway right away, the whalers stopped in Nova Scotia where they received military training before setting off as gunners on Norwegian and allied ships. Everything was top secret, and Lunenburg was never mentioned publicly, just referred to as “somewhere on the East Coast of Canada”.
We drove into Lunenburg late one evening after having crossed the Bay of Fundy from New Brunswick, then gone through the slightly mysterious Kejimkujik National Park. Stopping on impulse, we found an inn, rang the door bell at 10 pm and was given a beautiful, split level suite at a reasonable price. That’s the kind of place this is.
Next morning, we discovered we had wonderful harbour views to boot.
We really liked Lunenburg. There were horse-drawn carriages even. Can’t go wrong with girls and horses, can you….
Atlantic Canada, we’ll be back.
Old Town Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Here are more UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world.
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I always feel that most places lack colour, so this place looks really fun and pretty!
True, too much drab in the world.
I was just in Lunenburg myself – a small town with a lot to do, see, eat, and drink!
…and surprises around every corner.
We visited Lunenburg on a day trip from Halifax and loved it! The horse and carriage ride was a big hit with my girls as well! Was the Bluenose schooner in the harbour when you visited?
She was there, the beauty. But the sails weren’t up.
Some years back, on the Travel Channel there was a program called Tall Ship Chronicles, which anyone with wanderlust would love. Paying to work on a tall ship as it sails around the world! The ship’s home port was Lunenburg, and I’ve been longing to go there ever since! Now you made me want to go even more!!
Thanks. And a very cool idea working on a sail ship. A few Norwegian tall ships offers that as well, the Christan Radich of Oslo among them. You can join up to sail a certain leg of the yearly tall ships races. Would be such fun.
The colors seem to add so much to this town! The part about the Norwegians is interesting–I wonder if some of them just stayed there…?
I looked into that and it appears some of them might have. At least, a few are buried in Lunenburg and another few in Halifax.
I’ve lived in Nova Scotia on two different occasions – and both times Lunenburg was one of my favourite places to visit. In fact that’s were my husband and I had many a great meal in our dating phase. We both worked as geologists in Nova Scotia and had a pretty sweet deal – vehicles at our disposal and money given to us for meals.Nothing but good memories from Lunenburg.
How wonderful to have such happy memories of a very special town 🙂
Looks like a nice place, although the house colours seem so bright I’d have to wear shades in winter
Reminds me a little bit of some of the islands in Venice lagoon, though the colours there are perhaps a few shades softer…
Maybe it’s the color that fooled me but I’d never have pegged this as a ‘planned British colonial settlement.” It’s really picturesque, and the residents are warm and accommodating. Nice find, Sophie!
No, it seems like it should be Italian or something, rather than British.
What a place! Makes you feel transported back in time, doesn’t it? Love the colorful houses.
You’re right – I did get a sense of being in the early 1900s there.
I absolutely adored this place (or your photos, at any rate). Nova Scotia is definitely on my list, thanks for sharing a part of it.
BTW, reading about the whaling season in Antarctica reminded me of a photo of my paternal grandfather standing in front of a whale cut in half on board a whaling ship, in the 1940s, I think. He worked as an electrician on board the ship.
It wasn’t a whaling ship, I was wrong. Anyway, it sailed under the Argentinean flag but the crew was Norwegian 🙂
That’s very interesting, Ana. Your grandfather was Argentinian, no? And worked with Norwegian sailors on a Norwegian (?) ship sailing under the Argentine flag? Would love to hear the story there.
I called him after posting my comment to check the facts. He’s Argentinean and worked in the Merchant Navy as an electrician. He said the crew was Norwegian, or most of the crew, at any rate, and the ship’s flag was Argentinean.
What a fabulous find. Love the colors. This goes on the travel bucket list, for sure!
Fabulous, colourful place, indeed.
Wow! Those colorful buildings really jumped out at me. What a cool town. The memorial to Camp Norway is very interesting, too.
Atlantic Canada is full of cool places.
Ah, love brightly colored houses. I always envisioned my future home being the super bright house at the end of the block! Maybe I should move to Atlantic Canada and I’d fit right in!
You’d have a choice of brightly colours,too 🙂
I love Atlantic Canada! I think I was about 13 when my parents took me to Nova Scotia and I remember so clearly the colours of Lunenberg, the smell, and the amazing scallops I had. Have to go back!
Oh yes, the scallops. And the lobster. Nom nom!
I love those coloured houses so much! I wish I could have the chance to live at a place like that. Amazing. And breathtaking. I’ve always wondered what kind of people could live in these cottages.
I think many of them house shops, galleries and restaurants.
I know some people think brightly-colored houses are garish, but I so don’t agree. Okay, maybe bubble-gum pink. I’d love a purple or blue house, though!
I like them, too. But I think I would probably prefer my own house to be just a bit more subdued.
What a charming town! I’d love to visit Lunenburg. I love all of the colors. 🙂
🙂
What a vibrant palette of house paints!
Well said.
I’m Canadian and I’ve never heard of Lunenburg, but it looks very charming – the kind of place I like.
Goes to show how absolutely huge Canada is 🙂
Any idea how the whalers turned gunners fared?
Apparently, of the Norwegian sailors who left Nova Scotia, many never came to land again. Some were recovered from the sea and buried in Nova Scotia, others died in Lunenburg or Halifax. There are about 30 Norwegian war graves in the province, so not very many, but it’s an interesting bit of Norwegian – Canadian shared war time history.
Thanks. Yes it is a very interesting historical footnote. Somewhere in the history of those 100 or so whaling ships is a very good novel or screenplay. Or non-fiction reportage a la Perfect Storm.
I Love the colors of all the homes & buildings – just like I would picture an Atlantic Coastal town. So pretty!
Thanks for linking up this week! Have a super weekend!
Of course 🙂 And you too.
Sophie, I love the quaint feel of the town, that view from your inn was quite sweet. I enjoyed New Brunswick and Grand Manan, but haven’t experienced anything else up that way.
New Brunswick was nice, too. We liked Shediac and the Big Lobster.
Should they really be letting the horse eat the mail?
Very cute town. I’d guess there’s some good fish n’ chips to be found here somewhere.
There was an old-fashioned American diner – very quaint, a big hit with my kids. But can’t remember any chip shops. There was a tea place, though.
I know Lunenburg well, and your shots are gorgeous. My parents grew up in a village “just up the road”. When I was a kid we would go and visit, and of course, no modern highway (not that the highway is that great even today!)…and my favorite part of the trip was going up “Wake Up Hill”, not far from Lunenburg.
The Bluenose schooner is the ship you see on the Canadian dime. I believe she is being rebuilt at the moment.
On money, eh? Important national landmark, then.
The colors are amazing. This is the type of places I love to visit. History is in every corner.
You certainly get plenty of colours and history in Lunenburg 🙂
I want the green house.
I think I would go for the blue one, myself 🙂
Great story on Lunenburg. A unheard of story from WWII. Looks like a beautiful town as well with fantastic colors! I admit I don’t know much about the east coast of Canada but I never would have expected this place to play a role in WWII.
I had no idea it did, either. Made the town even more interesting.
I love these pictures and learning about a charming town in Atlantic Canada. These are such vibrant colors on the houses they reminded me of Burano island in Italy. You definitely can’t get lost looking for that bright green building. We would love to explore that part of Canada soon.
You’re right, it does remind one of Burano a little.
Very cool place. This side of Canada is a place I have yet to discover. The colourful houses look so inviting!
I’m the opposite; only know Eastern Canada 🙂
So colourful! It’s kind of reminding me of Stavanger
It does a little, I know the area of Stavanger you mean.
In Toronto I told someone I was from Nova Scotia and they said “oh where they have all the different colour houses” and I realized in Ontario everything was beige – so I guess yes we are the province with the houses of different colours.
In some areas in Northern Norway, houses are painted in very bright, even unusual, colours. I’ve been told that since the weather is so harsh they have to repaint often and it’s easier to experiment with colours more. If you don’t like it, you have to do it over again next year anyway. Maybe the same is true for Nova Scotia…
My, what a lovely place. And so colourful, like out of a story book.
Thanks for stopping by, Joe.
Cute! I love the little towns on the east coast!
Very cute 🙂
Love the bright colored buildings. They make the town seem very cheery.
how colorful! I wonder how one would get to Nova Scotia… Sounds like it could be expensive. Do you happen to know if flights from big cities in Canada, such as Montréal and Toronto, a reasonable?
We flew from Europe – and Icelandair had very reasonable flights via Reykjavik. I’m afraid I don’t know much about prices internally in Canada; I remember a friend of mine flew Toronto – Halifax with WestJet for 99 CAD, but that’s almost two years ago. More interestingly, I think there’s an overnight train going from Montreal to Halifax. Would be an interesting journey, I’m sure.