The origins of the Canadian War Museum date back to 1880, but was formally established in 1942.
It functions as both a museum of Canadian military history and a memorial site. It is designed to emphasize the human experience of war. For the public it offers: Canadian Experience galleries, LeBreton Gallery, Memorial Hall, Regeneration Hall, Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honor.
Its collections include, among others: weapons, rare vehicles, uniforms, medals, art, documents, maps, sound and visual recordings, e.g. Mercedes-Benz car that belonged to Adolf Hitler, Chieftain and Mk III Valentine tanks, CF-101 Voodoo fighter. The entire collection includes over 3 million artifacts.
The museum building covers an area of 440,000 square meters.

The Bytown Museum was established in 1917, founded by the Women’s Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa, initially known as the Bytown Historical Museum.
The Bytown Museum offers a rich array of collections and exhibitions that delve into the city’s birth and development—from its Indigenous roots to modern-day Ottawa:
- Permanent Collection (‘Where Ottawa Begins’)
Explores the Ottawa Valley’s early history—from the Anishinàbe Algonquin First Peoples and the founding of Bytown—through the construction of the Rideau Canal and its wild lumberjack era. Continues through the Victorian era, the burning of the Parliament Buildings, and Canada’s involvement in international conflicts. Notable treasures include a cast of Thomas D’Arcy McGee’s death hand, canal-era stone vault doors, historic lithographs and engravings (e.g., 1859 “City of Ottawa” lithograph), and artifacts related to Indigenous and settler life.
- Temporary & Community Galleries
Feature rotating exhibitions on local, regional, and social history: recent examples include health-care evolution (e.g., Capital Healers).
- Digital ‘Stories from the Collection’
A cutting-edge digitization initiative with Carleton Immersive Media Studio, offering 3D-modelled artifacts drawn from storage and galleries. The collection spans Indigenous artifacts, industrial tools, women’s stories, wartime and peacetime life.
- Extra Highlights
A kids’ zone titled ‘A Day in My Life’, located in the community gallery, brings history to life for younger audiences.
The Bytown Museum holds an impressive collection of nearly 15,000 artifacts.