Temporary exhibitions

Through the CHM's temporary exhibitions initiated by our team or our partners, Montreal is revealed a little, a lot, with passion. Our role is to bring you to discover and understand historical moments as they were lived by Montrealers. We like to surprise you, incite you to ask questions and see the city with new eyes by exploring various aspects of it on your own. With us, revisiting Montreal's past is an ongoing adventure.

Lost Neighbourhoods

June 15, 2011 to March 25, 2012 -- Extended until September 1, 2013

The Centre d’histoire de Montréal has officially extended the run of its popular Lost Neighbourhoods exhibit until September 1, 2013, after a record jump in attendance of more than 20%. Montrealers have become passionate about the life stories of their fellow citizens: Personal though these histories may be, they have universal appeal and their echoes still make headlines today. There is no longer any reason to miss this unique exhibit.

Between 1950 and 1970, Montreal’s urban fabric was subjected to a colossal restructuring. Here as elsewhere, the idea of a clean, modern city led to the destruction of old neighbourhoods. Among others, the Red Light, Faubourg à m'lasse, and Goose Village districts were bulldozed, displacing more than 10,000 Montrealers.

In this immersive exhibition, a lost Montreal is recreated through residents’ memories and scenes of daily life never before presented to the public.

In collaboration with the Archives of Montreal.

We Are Here
Life Stories of Montrealers Displaced by War, Genocide, and Other Human Rights Violations

From March 8, 2012 to April 14, 2013

From 2007 to 2012, the Montreal Life Stories project carried out around 500 interviews of Montrealers displaced by war, genocide and other human rights violations. The interviewees were invited to talk about themselves in their own way, in front of the camera. With We Are Here, the public is invited to discover remarkable life paths through excerpts of interviews and personal objects. The exhibition illustrates all of the diversity of the experiences and demonstrates how important it is to avoid clichés and preconceptions. As is the case of the project that gave birth to it, We Are Here focuses on individual stories as a whole, before, during, after, and today. How did the people interviewed rebuild their lives in Montreal? How do they share their memories with their children and their families? What can be said about their children, born and raised here? The exhibition follows a chronological path that illustrates the key moments of these stories.