Fortress Louisbourg stood on which Canadian island?

Fortress Louisbourg stood on Cape Breton Island, on the Atlantic coast of present-day Nova Scotia. It was the capital of the French colony of Île-Royale and occupied a strategically important harbour near the island’s southeastern tip.

The French began developing Louisbourg in 1713 after Britain gained control of Newfoundland and Acadia. Its harbour supported France’s Atlantic fishery and provided a naval base guarding access toward the St. Lawrence River and Quebec. Construction continued for decades, producing one of the largest and most expensive European fortifications in North America.

Louisbourg was captured by New England forces in 1745, returned to France in 1748, and captured again by Britain in 1758 during the French and Indian War. British engineers later demolished much of the fortress. A partial reconstruction began in 1961, and the site is now a Parks Canada living-history attraction.

A common mix-up is confusing Cape Breton Island with Prince Edward Island or mainland Nova Scotia. Louisbourg is on Cape Breton Island, although it is politically part of Nova Scotia.