Anse of Boischatel Park

The Parc de l'Anse is the first riverside park to be developed on the Côte-de-Beaupré. It offers direct access to the river.

You can stop there for a family picnic or simply to relax by the water, enjoying the amenities and street furniture.

For a few years, the Anse de Boischatel park has been a hotspot for kayakers, windsurfers and kitesurfers who enjoy direct access to the river and the proximity of the Montmorency Falls.

Picture: A kitesurfer in front of the Parc de l’Anse (Manon Dumas. Coll. of Développement Côte-de-Beaupré).

In the winter, ice fishing enthusiasts also take advantage of this location to set up their fishing cabins on the frozen river.

People regularly crossed the river by sledge to Île d'Orléans in winter on what was called the Ice Bridge. This was before the current bridge was built, and even after.

Picture: Ice bridge crossing (Coll. of the Centre de généalogie, des archives et des biens culturels de Château-Richer).

The soil in the area where we are is largely composed of clay deposits that can be used to make brick. Moreover, from the 17th century, the Drouin family of Château-Richer produced it in large quantities. It dominated the market at the time.

In 1912, the Brique Citadelle plant moved to Boischatel near the Montmorency Falls, to benefit from the hydroelectric power available nearby.

Brique Citadelle employed up to 150 workers before closing its doors in the early 1990s.

The proximity of the old factory explains why there are many old brick-built houses in Boischatel.

Picture: Inventaire du patrimoine bâti de la MRC de La Côte-de-Beaupré, 2002.