SIGNAL HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

This rocky hill, crowned by a tower, can be seen from all directions, guarding the entrance to St. John's harbour. Because of its strategic location, Signal Hill was used as a signaling and later communication post. Flags were used to signal the arrival of ships in the harbour to the city's military authorities and the arrival of their fleets to merchants. From the 18th century to the Second World War, military batteries were installed there. In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi conducted an experiment that marked the beginning of the development of telecommunications: wireless telegraphy, receiving the first transatlantic message, an "s" in Morse code, transmitted by electromagnetic waves from the other side of the Atlantic (from Cornwall, England), 2,700 km away.

Cabot Tower. It was built in 1897 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the landing in Newfoundland of the Venetian navigator in the service of England, John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), and the 60th anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria. Inside, there are exhibits on the history of maritime signalling and on the work of Marconi. From the top of the tower, there is an exceptional view of the city and the coast as far as Cape Spear.

The Visitor Center. The Visitor's Centre is the largest of its kind in Newfoundland and Labrador and tells the story of Newfoundland and St. John's through exhibits, dioramas and audio-visual material. The seal and cod fisheries are of course explained.