Citadelle of Quebec The Citadelle of Quebec ( ) is a military installation and official residence of both the Monarch of Canada and the Governor General of Canada located atop Cap Diamant , adjoining the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City , Quebec , Canada . This citadel is part of the fortifications of Quebec City . The city of Quebec is the only one in North America that is still surrounded by fortifications . The Citadelle is a National Historic Site of Canada , and also forms part of the Fortifications of Québec National Historic Site of Canada . The fortress is located within the " Historic District of Old Québec " , which was designated a World Heritage Site in 1985 . History . The first protective wall ( enceinte ) was built in the 17th century under Louis de Buade , sieur de Frontenac . A plan of fortification s was developed by the French military engineer Jacques Levasseur de Néré ( 1662 – 1723 ) and approved by Louis XIV ' s commissary general of fortifications Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban in 1701 . Considerable work took place on the fortifications after the fall of Louisbourg in 1745 under the direction of military engineer Gaspard - Joseph Chaussegros de Léry . The existing star - shaped fortifications were built by the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1831 under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Elias Walker Durnford of the Royal Engineers , and incorporated a section of the French " enceinte " ( enclosure ) of 1745 . Their purpose was to secure the strategic heights of Cap Diamant against the Americans and to serve as a refuge for the British garrison in the event of attack or rebellion . The preservation of much of the fortifications and defences of Quebec is due to the intervention of Frederick Hamilton - Temple - Blackwood , 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava , Governor General of Canada 1872 – 1878 , who also established the Citadelle as a vice - regal residence . The Quebec Conferences of 1943 and 1944 , in which Winston Churchill , Franklin D . Roosevelt , and William Lyon Mackenzie King discussed strategy for World War II , were held at the Citadelle of Quebec . The Citadelle has been the home station of the Royal 22 Régiment of the Canadian Forces since 1920 . In addition to its use as a military installation , it has been also an official residence of the Queen in Right of Canada and the Governor General of Canada since 1872 , who by tradition resides there for several weeks out of the year . ( The Governor General ' s primary official residence is Rideau Hall in Ottawa . ) Buildings . The Officer ' s Barracks , built in 1831 by the British Army , has been the residence of the Governor General of Canada since 1871 . The two storey Neoclassical building was expanded and damaged by a fire in 1976 . Inside the building are various rooms : Royal 22 Régiment Museum . The museum authenticates , classifies , evaluates and registers acquisitions received . The museum collects , preserves and displays to the public , artifacts of Canadian military historical significance . Visitors are given guided tours of buildings 10 and 15 , as well as the Royal 22 Régiment Museum , which features weapons , uniforms , and other military artifacts of the regiment . The Museum is affiliated with : CMA , CHIN , OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada . Context . The Quebec Parliament Building and many other provincial government buildings and several large hotels are also nearby , towering over this sunken or flat citadel , typical of late 18th century and early 19th century castramentation .