| Since its founding by a Scottish immigrant in 1842, the regional
capital of CHICOUTIMI has grown from a small sawmill centre into one of
the province's largest towns and as such is not a particularly enticing
place. The city's main attraction is La Pulperie de Chicoutimi at 300
Dubuc, five austere brick buildings built along the rapids by the
Chicoutimi Pulp Company, which was founded in 1896 and quickly became
Canada's largest producer of paper pulp. Left to rot in 1930, these
gigantic ghosts of Chicoutimi's industrial past had been restored to
prime condition but the flood of 1996 caused $1 million damage and the
site lost its restaurant and summer theatre.
Relocated to the Pulperie site in 1994 is the strange Maison du Peintre
Arthur Villeneuve . The former home of Naive painter Arthur Villeneuve,
the house is in effect one big painting, with murals covering inside and
out. The subject matter is somewhat unadventurous, but the artist's work
is bright and cheery while scenes of 1950s Chicoutimi - when Villeneuve
started his project after retiring as a barber - are intriguing. Tours,
in French, are given on the half-hour (summer only). The whole site is
undergoing restoration and a final date for work to be completed is
uncertain; for the latest on which parts of the site are open, telephone
698-3100 or 1-877/998-3100.
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