Designed by renowned Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama, the Canadian War Museum in downtown Ottawa sees some 500,000 visitors a year. The theme of its architectural design, “regeneration,” evokes not only the impact of war on the land, but also nature’s ability to regenerate and accommodate the physical devastation from human conflict.

The prize-winning design holds much symbolism. The gently sloping roof sweeps up to a height of 25 metres, where the windows of Moriyama Regeneration Hall provide an evocative view of Parliament Hill. Inside, Memorial Hall holds a pool of calm water and a lone artefact: the headstone from the grave of Canada’s Unknown Soldier. 

It is also one of the world’s most respected museums for the study and understanding of armed conflict. The four Canadian Experience Galleries highlight how past events have shaped Canada and Canadians, the brutal realities of organized human conflict, and the importance of remembrance and understanding. Exhibitions use the human experience of war—told mainly through personal stories, artefacts, and recollections of ordinary Canadians—to engage visitors in a personal dialogue about their country, its past and its prospects.

This year’s major exhibition, Outside the Lines, runs from May 24 to January 5. It explores how more than two centuries of women artists have interpreted Canada’s military history. Whether illustrating scenes from a 19^th-century uprising, workers in First World War factories, or Canadian Rangers patrolling the Far North, Outside the Lines offers an engaging look at conflict through the eyes of women.

Across the street from the Canadian War Museum is the National Holocaust Monument, titled Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival (www.warmuseum.ca).