Citadel Hill

Citadel Hill is a hill that is a National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Four fortifications have been constructed on Citadel Hill since 1749, and were referred to as Fort George—but only the third fort (built between 1794 and 1800) was officially named Fort George, by General Orders of October 20, 1798, after Prince Edward's father, King George III. The first two and the fourth and current fort, were officially called the Halifax Citadel. The Citadel is the fortified summit of Citadel Hill. The hill was first fortified in 1749, the year the town of Halifax was founded. Those fortifications were successively rebuilt to defend the town from various enemies. Construction and leveling have lowered the summit by ten to twelve metres. While never attacked, the Citadel was long the keystone to defence of the strategically important Halifax Harbour and its Royal Navy Dockyard. Today, Parks Canada operates the site as the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada and has restored to its appearance in the Victorian era.