Boréalis

The History of an Industry, the Heart of a Region

A brand new must-see tourist attraction is coming to Trois-Rivières! A unique experience for the whole family, Boréalis, the new Pulp and Paper Industry Exhibition Centre, will open its doors in September 2010 in the old filtration plant at the Canadian International Paper (C.I.P.) mill, the world’s largest paper mill in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Boréalis will, above all, provide an encounter between man and machine through a permanent exhibition Racines et Identité (Roots and Identity). With its more than a hundred-year-old history, the pulp and paper industry will show its many facets through themes such as logging, water and the extraordinary lives of lumberjacks and log drivers. Also, authentic and moving stories from old paper workers will take visitors to the heart of the region’s memory. The various interactive platforms will give them an opportunity to discover how a papermaking machine works, try their hand at pumping and filtering water, feel the heat, humidity, noise and smell of a 20th century paper mill, and for toddlers, to even make their own newspaper as a memento of their visit.

The main protagonists in the first temporary exhibition, Voyage au bout du monde (Voyage to the End of the World), will be Steven Guilbeault, Équiterre spokesman, and the famous explorer Jacques Cartier. It will feature their observations on our world. Beyond enjoying a unique sensory experience that will recapture, among others, Jacques Cartier’s voyage and landing more than 450 years ago, visitors will themselves take part in the exhibition by being asked to propose possible solutions that will give us hope for the future of our world.

Boréalis will also offer thrill-seekers a trepidation-filled tour through underground vaults, a visit in a lookout tower located in the middle of a waterway, which will feature a multimedia production by artists from the region, not to mention a gorgeous terrace with an unobstructed view of the Saint-Maurice River.

This new attraction, a perfect blend of heritage and multimedia, is designed to appeal to the whole family!