Whether you’re enjoying the view during a round at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Course or looking out over the water from Queen’s Royal Park, Fort Niagara has long been a landmark across the river. In 2026, one of its most iconic buildings, the French Castle, marks an impressive milestone — 300 years since its construction. As the oldest standing building in the Great Lakes basin, the French Castle has guarded the mouth of the Niagara River, a waterway that has long connected Indigenous nations and, later, it became a meeting place for trade, diplomacy and conflict between nations. Over the centuries, the fort has been controlled by the French, British and Americans and played an important role in the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Through it all, Fort Niagara has remained a striking landmark and, to this day, it serves as a reminder of how the river has always connected communities on both shores.