Byward Market, Ottawa

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In hidden away courtyards by Byward market are several lovely works of art.

My first photo is of the Tin House (2003), which I find awesome. It is the facade of a house of tinsmith Honoré Foisy. He advertised by decorating the outside of his house. This work of art is made of original and fabricated parts of the house. It is a fun idea, putting the facade of a tin house on the wall of another house. It was put up here in the courtyard in 1973 (which was then named after the facade) and in 2003 it was restored again.

My second and third photos af of the Angel - which is a cast iron angel given to the National Capital Commission in 1979 by the Catholic Church. The angel stood over the door of a chapel by a cemetary. The Angel is located by the Beaux-Arts Courtyard.

My fourth photo is called Young girl (1986) by John Ivor Smith. By this courtyard Jeanne d'Arc institute was located - which was run by nuns and was a residence of young women - the statue represents a young woman playing with a hoop - with a reference to God as well as she is holding the hoop over her head looking at it. It is loaced in the Jeanne d'Arc Court.

My fifth photo is located in the same courtyard as the Young girl, and is called Dancing Bear (1999) by the Inuit artist from Nunavut, Pauta Saila. The artist is well known for his dancing bears - or playing bears. The statue of the bear is amazing, it actually looks like it is a blown up balloon.

I recommend looking these works of art up, they are so worth it.

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There are 14 alley cats in the market area - not easy to find though. These are 14 bronze statues of alley cats by Jean-Yves Vigneau from 1993.

I love art-work like this - they are crudely made cats, almost like a child had made them out of clay.. but they are interesting. Some of them are on top of the building, and some of them are in the windows of the parking lot almost touching the side-walk. I couldn´t find all 14, but I came close.

I am happy I sought them out, they were worth it :D

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Byward market was established in 1826 and is one of Canada's oldest and largest markets. It is the oldest surviving part of Ottawa.

Now this is my favourite place in Ottawa, the-buzzing-with-life-Byward-market. It is a big market area (4 blocks square) with a European flare to it in my opinion. Countless restaurants and cafés, vegetable and fruit stalls, flower stalls, jewellery and clothes stalls. And the Byward inside market with lots of restaurants and stores which are open onto the street. This being Canada with cold winters then the outside stalls are only open during the warmer months though.

During the weekends in the summer time there is outdoor entertainment (buskers) and on a sunny day being there is heaven I say :) The many restaurants and cafés are then filled with people.

We always meet up with one friend here - and I have had lunch with a VT-member here at Byward market.

See additional photos of the market area in a travelogue here.

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Hanging in the roof of Byward market is an awesome piece of art, I love it. It is so colourful and matches perfectly the colourful atmosphere of the market. It is a cloud on which sit slaughters and salespeople at the market. Absolutely delightful.

It was made by the Hungarian Victor Tolgesy in 1978.
One can get so close to the artwork by going up on the second floor where the toilets are - from there one can get very good photos.

The artist was an abstract artist, but turned away from it and created such cheerful artwork. In Gatineau there is artwork by the same artist called the Explorer II - it is not to my taste - see my tip on my Gatineau page.

ByWard Market is one of Canada's oldest and largest public markets. Although it started out as a typical farmer's market, over the years the area has grown to include an impressive quantity of specialty shops, restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and cafes, making it one of the city's liveliest areas, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. If you happen to be there during the day, it's truly worth taking the time to slowly walk up and down the dozens of streets that make up the Market to discover some of its hidden gems. Make sure to save some room for a BeaverTail!

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The Byward Market is a great place to just wander around. Whether you are a tourist looking for a souvenier, a local who wants to buy some fresh produce, someone who wants a quick bite or a good meal, or someone like me, who just wants to wander around taking pictures, the Byward Market has something to offer everyone!

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ByWard Market is theoldest continuously operating farmer's market.

Historic ByWard Market Square located in the downtown area of Ottawa's oldest commercial and residential neighbourhoods.

The original market building was constructed in 1848, the current one - in 1926. It was renovated and re-opened in 1976.

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ByWard Market has over 20 Merchants and it is the ideal place to shop for a wide variety of items.

Open 7 days a week:
Open 7 days a week
Mon-Wed: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Thursday: 9:30 am - 8:00 pm
Friday & Sat: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Sun: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Closed: Christmas Day, Dec. 25 and New Years Day, Jan 01.

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The ByWard Market (Marche By) is four blocks of stalls, specialty shops, restaurants, cafes and boutiques. Find your souvenirs here! It's the most popular tourist attraction in Ottawa, and a beautiful walk on a nice day!

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ByWard Market is a lively market where you'll find flowers, fresh fruit, souvenirs, clothes, some delicacies like maple syrup, etc.. I walked by it in late afternoon and early evening so there wasn't much activity there, but I enjoyed the scenery.

I also found the totem pole on the first picture there, and I was wondering if I was going to find a stand selling aborigine stuff but there wasn't any.