This is both, a fascinating, and educational website that will take visitors on an exciting journey through the history of one of Canada’s great cities.

The Heritage Winnipeg Virtual Library is an extensive collection of over 3,000 photographs dating back to the end of the fur-trade era when Winnipeg was nothing more than a collection of wooden shacks near the muddy junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.

170 Vignettes chronicle the history of Winnipeg’s built heritage through rare photographs and stories that follow the city through the boom years and it’s rapid growth into the financial, transportation, and grain center of Western Canada.

Visit the Gallery and access over 3,000 glorious photos from the Provincial Archives of Manitoba, the University of Manitoba Special Archives, the City of Winnipeg Archives and the Heritage Winnipeg Collection. Browse through the collection or search for a particular item. Copies of the images are available from the participating archives.

An exciting Virtual Tour through the Exchange District will take you into the buildings for up-close 360 degree VR views of interiors that remain the same as they did over 100 years ago.

This project was created through the generous financial support of the Canadian Cultural Online Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage (www.canadianheritage.gc.ca/ccop-pcce), the City of Winnipeg, the Downtown BIZ and the Exchange BIZ.