皇家山公園

陜西 宋明繼

皇家山公園辟建于1876 年，由美國著名的景觀設計師奧姆斯特德負責設計，這位設計師設計過許多美國的著名公園，包括紐約的中央公園。

The charming, leafy and wide area of Parc du Mont-Royal is a wonderful place for a variety of outdoor activities. The wooded slopes and grassy land have wonderful views that make it all the more popular for jogging, picnicking, horseback riding, cycling and throwing Frisbees (飛盤).Winter brings skating,tobogganing(乘撬滑雪運動)and cross-country skiing.

The 200 hectares of land on Mont-Royal that fall in the boundary of Montréal Island was named as protected park land in 1876, after many of its trees had been harvested for firewood throughout the 1860s, leaving the land noticeably sparse( 稀 疏 的). The park was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of New York's Central Park.

Though Olmsted's design was never fully carried out,some elements were eventually constructed. The first element of the original plan to be constructed was a cheaply constructed carriageway. Though it was not as large as the original plan for a reservoir (蓄水池), a recreational lake was constructed in the park in 1938. Parc du Mont-Royal is one of the most popular parks in the city and was declared a National Heritage site in 1987.

Parc du Mont-Royal has some fantastic bird-watching opportunities, particularly in spring. A great number of migratory birds use the area as a passage on their way to breeding (繁殖) grounds. In winter, hardy bird-lovers come out for walks along the bird-feeder circuit that goes around the Summit Loop (the park places feeders out from November to April).

Reading Check

Who was responsible for the design of Parc du Mont-Royal?

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