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Canadian War Museum

Museums ·Ottawa ·Closed
4.815.6K
#1Museums in Ottawa#3Museums in Canada
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About

Canadian War Museum in LeBreton Flats, Ottawa, explores Canada’s military history through human experiences of war and spaces for remembrance.

Menu & prices

Consult the menu

More photos 6

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Canadian War Museum

Canadian War MuseumCanadian War MuseumCanadian War MuseumCanadian War MuseumCanadian War MuseumCanadian War Museum

What's on here

Called to Action: From Remembrance to Reconciliation Called to Action: From Remembrance to Reconciliation Sunday · All day RedTeam Hackathon Grand Final, Ottawa- Live Pitches and Awards RedTeam Hackathon Grand Final, Ottawa- Live Pitches and Awards Saturday, 17:30Free Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War Sunday, 09:0016 USD Temporary exhibition Canada’s Unknown Soldier Temporary exhibition Canada’s Unknown Soldier Sunday, 09:0016 USD

Why go

  • Explore galleries combining about 2,500 objects, audiovisual material and interactive activities.
  • Follow veterans’ stories and personal artifacts about how war shaped Canada.
  • See aircraft, naval guns, tanks and motorcycles in an open storage display.

Opening hours

Today09:00 – 17:00Show all
Monday09:00 – 17:00
Tuesday09:00 – 17:00
Wednesday09:00 – 17:00
Thursday09:00 – 19:00
Friday09:00 – 17:00
Saturday09:00 – 17:00
Sunday09:00 – 17:00

Don't miss

  • Memorial Hall’s headstoneThe original headstone of the soldier later reburied at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier receives sunlight each year on 11 November at 11 am.Memorial Hall, in the museum lobby11 November at 11 am each year.
  • Hitler’s Mercedes-Benz 770KThe museum acquired the car in 1970; research linked it to Hitler in 1982.Museum gallery
  • Vimy Memorial models and SacrificeSee Walter Allward’s original plaster models for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial alongside Charles Sims’s painting Sacrifice.Regeneration Hall, at the building’s highest point
  • National War Memorial modelThe plaster model chosen in the memorial’s design competition.Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour
  • Morse-code skylightsSmall skylights spell “Lest we forget” and “N'oublions jamais” in Morse code.Copper-clad eastern fin

Know before you go

  • Ramps and slopes in every gallery make the exhibits wheelchair accessible.
  • A wheelchair-accessible path around the green roof links The Commons with parkland north of the museum.

What's inside

  • Early Wars in Canada covers conflicts from First Nations history through New France and British North America to 19th-century Canada.
  • The South African and First World War gallery explores Canadian participation in both conflicts.
  • The Second World War gallery covers Canada’s role in the conflict, including the homefront and Japanese Canadian internment.
  • On the museum’s eastern side, the LeBreton Gallery’s glass walls bring daylight into the equipment displays and allow passersby to see objects from outside.
  • The 236-seat Barney Danson Theatre.

With kids

  • The permanent galleries combine objects, audiovisual material and interactive activities.
  • In the final gallery, visitors can leave reflections on war, peace and remembrance.

Tips for your visit

  • A seven-metre audiovisual presentation in the main foyer introduces the exhibits.
  • The riverfront cafeteria has a seasonal terrace. Consult the menu: https://www.warmuseum.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/menu-cwm-cafe.pdf
  • The museum stands beside the Capital Pathway, less than two kilometres west of Parliament.

Interesting facts5

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  1. 500,000 items

    The collections include more than 500,000 items and over 13,000 works of military art.

    Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia
  2. 400 works

    The museum’s military art collection includes more than 400 works by Alex Colville.

    Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia (part 3)
  3. 2019

    In 2019, the collection held 39 of the 99 original Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadians.

    Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia (part 3)

  4. A German prisoner of war fashioned a crossbow from his bed frame; it is displayed in the museum.

    Kanadisches Kriegsmuseum - Wikipedia
  5. 1943

    A radio set from Kurt, the German weather station built in Labrador in 1943 and undiscovered by Canadians during the war, is displayed in the museum.

    Kanadisches Kriegsmuseum - Wikipedia

Shorts

History

The earlier museum outgrew its drill hall and closed in 1896 to make room for rifles and training space. After the Second World War in Europe, an acquisition team collected German military equipment in the Netherlands and Allied-occupied Germany. During the Cold War, the Canadian Armed Forces supplied obsolete equipment and examples of enemy equipment. The museum also holds works from the collection initiated by Lord Beaverbrook through the Canadian War Memorials Fund in November 1916.

  1. 1880The Cartier Square Military Museum was established to preserve militia records and objects, beginning the collection.
  2. 1916Military artifacts and captured German weapons appeared in a travelling exhibition.
  3. 1942The Canadian War Museum opened at the War Trophies Building.
  4. 1967The collection moved into the former Dominion Archives building.
  5. 2001The proposed site for the new museum changed from CFB Rockcliffe to LeBreton Flats.
Show all
  1. 2005The new museum building opened to the public on 8 May, the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day.

Sources: Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia · Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia (part 2) · Canadian War Museum - Wikipedia (part 3) · Ottawa - Wikivoyage (see) · Canadian War Museum · Privacy Policy | Canadian War Museum · Become a member | Canadian War Museum · Kanadisches Kriegsmuseum - Wikipedia · Musée canadien de la guerre - Wikipedia · checked 28 Sep 2026

Where
1 Vimy Place Main Level, Ottawa

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Is any part of the Canadian War Museum free?

Memorial Hall is the only free exhibition and is reached through the lobby.

What does Canadian War Museum membership include?

Members receive unlimited admission to ongoing and special exhibitions, plus discounts on event tickets, parking during visits and food services.

What are the Canadian War Museum’s opening hours?

Monday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00; Thursday, 09:00–19:00.

Where is the Canadian War Museum?

At 1 Vimy Place, Ottawa, in LeBreton Flats, southwest of Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial.

Whose traditional territory is the Canadian War Museum on?

The museum stands on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg.

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