La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! — an Intriguing Part of the Saguenay Landscape
End of the Road: This unique landmark memorial in Québec overlooks panoramic vistas of the region. | By Lisa van de Geyn
Québec doesn’t seem a likely place for a pyramid, but there’s a special one that will rivet your attention if you’re travelling through the Saguenay region. La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! — a.k.a. Ha! Ha! Pyramid — in La Baie stands 21 metres (about 70 feet) high and, for nearly 30 years, has gained quite the reputation as a wondrous architectural landmark for visitors to stop by and explore.
It was named after the nearby Ha! Ha! River (ha-ha is an archaic French term that translates loosely as “an unexpected obstacle”) and commemorates a tragic event. In 1996 the area experienced an incredibly wet summer, and the region was hit with continuous rainfall over a three-day period, receiving 100 to 275 mm of rain. This triggered catastrophic flooding, landslides and homes washed away. The disaster flattened the town of La Baie (now a borough of Saguenay), resulting in 10 lives lost and about 16,000 displaced residents.
A year later, local artist Jean-Jules Soucy was commissioned by the local restoration committee to create a contemporary art monument as a memorial, not only for those who died, but also for those who survived the flood and remained steadfast and focused on rebuilding. Soucy’s vision was a show-stopping aluminum pyramid with a façade of 3,000 yield signs (“yield” in French is céder, which sounds the same as s’aider, meaning “to help each other”). A community project largely built by volunteer residents, the pyramid was completed in 1998, replete with an observation deck providing the perfect vantage point to survey spectacular panoramic views of the town, the river and the surrounding valley.
Today La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! remains a compelling symbol of the resilient spirit of the Saguenay community as well as a reminder of the events of that fateful summer three decades ago. Visitors are welcome in summertime to view the memorials on exhibit inside Soucy’s iconic pyramid, which is illuminated at dusk. Tickets cost $1 per person; children under the age of five get in free. Bilingual guided tours are available via Musée du Fjord. CAA
(Top) La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! (Above from left) Yield signs cover the façade of the pyramid; a map of Québec illustrating the monument's location; the stairs to the observation deck inside the monument; the incredible view of the entire region from the observation deck. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MUSÉE DU FJORD
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(Above) La Pyramide des Ha! Ha!; yield signs cover the façade of the pyramid; the stairs to the observation deck inside the monument; the incredible view of the entire region from the observation deck. (Below) A map of Québec illustrating the monument’s location. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MUSÉE DU FJORD
La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! — an Intriguing Part of the Saguenay Landscape
End of the Road: This unique landmark memorial in Québec overlooks panoramic vistas of the region. | By Lisa van de Geyn
Québec doesn’t seem a likely place for a pyramid, but there’s a special one that will rivet your attention if you’re travelling through the Saguenay region. La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! — a.k.a. Ha! Ha! Pyramid — in La Baie stands 21 metres (about 70 feet) high and, for nearly 30 years, has gained quite the reputation as a wondrous architectural landmark for visitors to stop by and explore.
It was named after the nearby Ha! Ha! River (ha-ha is an archaic French term that translates loosely as “an unexpected obstacle”) and commemorates a tragic event. In 1996 the area experienced an incredibly wet summer, and the region was hit with continuous rainfall over a three-day period, receiving 100 to 275 mm of rain. This triggered catastrophic flooding, landslides and homes washed away. The disaster flattened the town of La Baie (now a borough of Saguenay), resulting in 10 lives lost and about 16,000 displaced residents.
A year later, local artist Jean-Jules Soucy was commissioned by the local restoration committee to create a contemporary art monument as a memorial, not only for those who died, but also for those who survived the flood and remained steadfast and focused on rebuilding. Soucy’s vision was a show-stopping aluminum pyramid with a façade of 3,000 yield signs (“yield” in French is céder, which sounds the same as s’aider, meaning “to help each other”). A community project largely built by volunteer residents, the pyramid was completed in 1998, replete with an observation deck providing the perfect vantage point to survey spectacular panoramic views of the town, the river and the surrounding valley.
Today La Pyramide des Ha! Ha! remains a compelling symbol of the resilient spirit of the Saguenay community as well as a reminder of the events of that fateful summer three decades ago. Visitors are welcome in summertime to view the memorials on exhibit inside Soucy’s iconic pyramid, which is illuminated at dusk. Tickets cost $1 per person; children under the age of five get in free. Bilingual guided tours are available via Musée du Fjord. CAA
