Steep copper rooftops cover the old and new buildings of

Quebec City in Canada is one of the oldest cities in North America and the first historic city center to have been named a UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The fortified lower city has quite a few buildings dating to from the 17th and 18th centuries. The distinctive roofs made of colorful copper are necessary for the annual snowfall of 160 inches; the roofs are quite steep, just like the hills.

Old and new mingle; reality and illusion connect

Tourists in front of this 5-story trompe l’oeil mural painting blur the boundaries between painting and actuality. The skillful painting of shadows, and the buildings, stairs and balconies in perfect linear perspective, create the illusion.

Twelve artists painted a mural in perspective on the side of a 5- story building to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Quebec City in 2008.
The roofs, stones, streets and store fronts of this trompe l’oeil cityscape feature ancient and modern people of Quebec and also explain a good deal of French Canadian and North American history. (Quebec was the capital of New France.) Amongst the faces in windows and on the ground are Samuel de Champlain who founded the city in 1608, as well as explorers such as Jacques Cartier and Louis Joliet.

The modern people include three Stastny brothers who had immigrated from Slovakia and became famous hockey players.
.
The realities of old and new come together in the
experience of Quebec City today.

Here is a blog showing more trompe l’oeil murals in Quebec City
http://www.ramblingtraveler.com/2007/05/wall-murals-of-quebec-city.html

Also, for the murals of Lyon, France, please see this website:
http://cite-creation.com/