Citadel Hill
As long as there has been a Halifax, there has been the Halifax Citadel, the crown atop the city, overlooking the harbour, protecting it from invasion. The fourth in a series of forts, the current Citadel was completed in 1856, after 28 years of construction. In the one and a half centuries since, the 8-pointed star of a fortress has dominated the skyline, and has had a mostly unobstructed view of the harbour.
In the early days of Halifax, the Citadel was England's primary fortress. Designed to rival France's Louisbourg, the Citadel has never been taken by enemy forces. Part of the reason for this was its design, which includes a moat 8-16 feet deep.
Rumours abound of other architectural bits of interest, including catacombs beneath the fortress, honeycombing the hill, as well as a tunnel that spans the harbour, reaching miles underneath the ocean water to McNab's Island.
While by day the fort is a popular tourist attraction, at night it gains a more sinister reputation. The Hill has long been known as a gay cruising site, but in recent years repeated beatings and drug deals gone sour have made it a place seldom visited after dark.
