Washington, D.C.

The capital of the United States is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. This area is not a state, but Federal Land.

The nation’s first president, George Washington, selected the site for the district. It is the first carefully planned capital in the world.

The center of the city is the Capitol Building, the seat of the Government. It is the highest building in the city that doesn’t have any skyscrapers. Home of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it contains some 430 rooms.

Topping the dome is the 19-foot bronze statue of Freedom. The 36 columns which surround the lower part of the dome represent the states in the Union at the time this impressive structure was designed. Construction of it began in 1793, finished in 1867.

The White House in Pennsylvania Avenue has been the official residence of every American President except G.Washington. The original design of the house was drawn by James Hoban, an Irish-born architect.

The White House has a lot of beautiful rooms; each one has its own distinctive style. The largest is the East Room which is used for State balls, receptions, press-conferences and other events. The finest room is the Blue Room used by the President to receive guests. The Red Room is used for small receptions. It is a favorite room of First Ladies. The Capitol and the White House are open to visitors daily.

The Washington Monument, built at intervals between 1848 and 1885, memorializes George Washington’s achievements and unselfish devotion to the country. The Monument is situated in Potomac Park and is over 180 metres. The top may be reached in 70 seconds by elevator or by an iron stairway. From the top visitors can see the entire District of Columbia and parts of Virginia and Maryland.

The Lincoln Memorial is designed like a Greek Temple with columns, representing the states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. The main feature of the building is the magnificent, realistic figure of Lincoln seated in the center of the open temple.

The Jefferson Memorial with wonderful cherry-trees around is a circular stone structure. In the central chamber there is a full-length figure of the third President of the USA, the author of the Declaration of Independence. The statue was created by the American sculptor Rudolf Evans.

Arlington National Cemetery is a site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. John Kennedy was buried there in 1963.

John Kennedy Center for Performing Arts is the official memorial to President Kennedy in the Nation’s capital.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-24