Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Lunenburg is a town in southern Nova Scotia, Canada, at 44.37° North 64.32° West approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital Halifax on the Atlantic coast. Its population in 1991 was 2781.

It was founded in 1753, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Lunenburg was named in honour of the Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg who had become King of England in 1727 (George II).

It is an important seaport and shipbuilding centre. The famous schooner Bluenose was launched here, and her daughter Bluenose II is an important tourist attraction in the town, her home port. Tourism is now Lunenburg's most important industry and many thousands visit the town each year. A number of restaurants and shops exist to service the tourist trade. Another tourist attraction is the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic.

The original German and Swiss inhabitants of Lunenberg came from the same wave of immigration that produced the Pennsylvania Dutch. They were "Foreign Protestants" encouraged by the British to settle in the area.