Montreal Tower and Olympic Park

The Tallest Inclined Tower In The World At 165 Metres And A 45 Degree Angle, Leaning Over The 1976 Olympic Stadium; The Complex Took Until 2006 To Pay Off And Is Known Locally As The Big Owe · Montreal, Quebec

THE MONTREAL TOWER IS THE TALLEST INCLINED TOWER IN THE WORLD - one hundred and sixty-five metres leaning out at forty-five degrees over the 1976 Olympic Stadium, with a funicular that rides up the curve of its spine to an observation deck. It was designed to hoist a retractable roof over the stadium; the tower was not finished until 1987, eleven years after the Games, and the roof has never worked properly - it has torn, collapsed under snow, and been replaced more than once. THE WHOLE COMPLEX COST SO MUCH AND TOOK SO LONG TO PAY OFF - THE DEBT WAS FINALLY CLEARED IN 2006, THIRTY YEARS ON - that Montrealers call it THE BIG OWE. It is a genuinely extraordinary piece of architecture and a genuinely cautionary tale, and the city has never quite decided which. The view from the top reaches eighty kilometres on a clear day.

4141 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

THE OBSERVATION DECK AND THE FUNICULAR OPERATE ON PUBLISHED DAILY HOURS most of the year, with SEASONAL CLOSURES FOR MAINTENANCE that are not always well advertised - CONFIRM BEFORE TRAVELLING to the east end for this specifically. ADULT ADMISSION TO THE TOWER HAS RUN ROUGHLY CAD 24-30, with combined tickets covering the Biodome and other Space for Life venues nearby, which is usually better value. THE FUNICULAR RUNS ON THE INCLINED FACE and is the experience as much as the view. THE STADIUM ITSELF hosts events on its own schedule and guided tours of the complex run seasonally. Viau and Pie-IX metro stations both serve the park. The Olympic Park sits beside the Botanical Garden and the Space for Life complex, which is already a separate destination and easily combined.

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