The origins of the Canadian War Museum date back to 1880, but was formally established in 1942.
It functions as both a museum of Canadian military history and a memorial site. It is designed to emphasize the human experience of war. For the public it offers: Canadian Experience galleries, LeBreton Gallery, Memorial Hall, Regeneration Hall, Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honor.
Its collections include, among others: weapons, rare vehicles, uniforms, medals, art, documents, maps, sound and visual recordings, e.g. Mercedes-Benz car that belonged to Adolf Hitler, Chieftain and Mk III Valentine tanks, CF-101 Voodoo fighter. The entire collection includes over 3 million artifacts.
The museum building covers an area of 440,000 square meters.