Samuel de Champlain

This bronze sculpture of the French explorer is located on Kìwekì Point (formerly Nepean Point), in Ottawa, behind the National Gallery of Canada.

The sculpture was created in 1918 by Hamilton MacCarthy. It was intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival of explorers from Europe in this part of the world.

In its new context on Kìwekì Point, the monument is intended to convey the traditional importance of the Kichi Zībī (Ottawa River) to travel and trade, two priorities of Samuel de Champlain. Champlain is depicted using an astrolabe, a European navigational instrument. It also is intended to present how the arrival of newcomers from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean in this ancient landscape caused ripples of change that continue to have an impact to this day.