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Breakneck Stairs

1635 establishments in the British EmpireBuildings and structures completed in 1635Buildings and structures in Quebec CityStairwaysTourist attractions in Quebec City
Escalier Casse Cou 06
Escalier Casse Cou 06

The Breakneck Stairs, or Breakneck Steps (French: Escalier casse-cou), is Quebec City's oldest stairway, built in 1635. Originally called escalier Champlain ("Champlain Stairs"), escalier du Quêteux ("Beggars' Stairs"), or escalier de la Basse-Ville ("Lower Town Stairs"), they were given their current name in the mid-19th century, because of their steepness. The stairs, which connect Côte de la Montagne in the "Upper Town" to the corner of Rue du Petit-Champlain and Rue Sous-le-Fort in the "Lower Town"), have been restored several times, including an 1889 renovation by Charles Baillargé, which converted the steps from a single flight into three parallel ones.Several businesses are located on the western side of the steps at each of its four flights.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Breakneck Stairs (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Breakneck Stairs
Breakneck Steps, Quebec

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Wikipedia: Breakneck StairsContinue reading on Wikipedia

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Latitude Longitude
N 46.8127975303 ° E -71.203554234 °
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Breakneck Steps

Breakneck Steps
G1K 4G9 Quebec (La Cité-Limoilou)
Quebec, Canada
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Escalier Casse Cou 06
Escalier Casse Cou 06
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Rue du Petit-Champlain
Rue du Petit-Champlain

Rue du Petit-Champlain (English: Little Champlain Street) is a street in the Canadian city of Quebec City, Quebec. It is located in the Petit Champlain commercial district, at the foot of Cap Diamant, and contains many boutique shops. Quartier du Petit Champlain is claimed to be the oldest commercial district in North America. It is named for Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608.Rue du Petit-Champlain is around 0.16 miles (0.26 km) long, and runs from its convergence with Rue Sous-le-Fort in the north to Boulevard Champlain in the south. A popular viewing point of the street, the Breakneck Stairs (or Breakneck Steps), are located at the northern end of the street. Just beyond the steps is the lower entrance of the Funiculaire du Vieux-Québec, an electric cableway established in 1879. It takes passengers up and down Cap Diamant to and from Dufferin Terrace, beside the Château Frontenac. It climbs at a 45-degree angle, covering a total distance of 64 metres (210 ft).Around halfway along the street, on its western side, is Parc Félix-Leclerc. The western side of the street contains frontages of buildings, in the shadow of Cap Diamant to their rears, whereas the rears of the buildings facing Boulevard Champlain occupy the eastern side. A fresco painted on the side of the building at number 102 is a trompe-l'œil measuring 100m2 (900 ft2). It represents the history of the district, the bombardments of 1759, the landslides, and the fires which have occurred in the district.