Washington is a city with a unique atmosphere. A city that can be called a place of power. It houses a lot of government agencies, ministries and departments. This place has many attractions and they are all very close to each other, giving you the opportunity to see everything.

You can see the whole city at your fingertips by climbing observation deck. The main monument of the capital can be considered the Washington Monument. Not far from it there are no less interesting monuments, such as the Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt memorials. In addition to the state ones, dozens of private museums have settled in the city, which are dedicated to various topics. In the capital you can also go to the opera (the National Opera is located here). You can listen to the symphony orchestra and attend the ballet (the Washington ballet troupe is located here). A large number of nightclubs and establishments that operate 24 hours a day can be found in the Georgetown area. If you are traveling with children, then it is worth visiting the National Zoo, where you will see a huge number of rare animals.

Some of the most interesting attractions of the US capital are:

• White House and Pentagon;
• Capitol;
• International Spy Museum;
• Mall and memorial parks;
• Washington National Cathedral;

The White house

This is a very beautiful building, which is a symbol of the United States of America. Its construction dates back to 1792, designed by James Hoban, under the direction of George Washington. The residence was built in a classic style, it is laconic, sophisticated and elegant. The façade is clad in white Virginia sandstone and coated with a mixture of casein, lead and lime. In 1801, the White House increased its area, and eastern and western terraces were added to the building. At the beginning of the 20th century, two wings were added to the house - Western and Eastern. On this moment The residence consists of six floors, including two basements, two for official events and two for the president's family. The most delightful and historically important premises are open to tourists. The interior of them changed, but at the same time remained in the style of the 18-19th century. Some of the rooms contain items that once belonged to the presidential families.

Inside the building you can see:

• East Hall;
• Green Hall;
• Oval Office;
• Red room.

Pentagon- This is a symbol of the country's power. The US Department of Defense is located within its walls. The seven-story building is built in the form of a pentagon, two floors of which are underground. It’s not easy to get on an excursion. To do this, you must first register for it. Cadets act as guides. This is the largest office building in the world.

Capitol

Washington is a city that does not have skyscrapers, since the district has a law that all buildings should not be taller than the Capitol, which is 88 m high. This is the most recognizable building with a rich past. The Capitol is conventionally divided into two parts, southern and northern, and the large dome symbolizes the unity of America. The lower house of parliament sits in its southern part, and the upper house in the northern part. This building is one of those that is definitely worth seeing during your trip.

A huge number of historical documents, valuable photographs, expensive paintings, and statues are collected here. Even in the decoration of the premises, strength and power can be traced. In addition to the Capitol, this includes such attractions as the Library of Congress and the US Supreme Court. You can also take a walk in the magnificent park nearby.

International Spy Museum

This museum is unique as it is the only one in the world. It will be interesting for a person of any age to visit it. Here you have the opportunity to try your espionage skills. There are interactive games and even spy lessons for guests. Here you can see umbrellas with syringes, pistols in a tube of lipstick, hidden cameras.

The museum was founded by a man who served 35 years in the CIA. Geographically, the museum is located 5 historical buildings, which form a complex. It includes halls with expositions, shops with spy paraphernalia, a cafe, a restaurant, a storage facility, all this makes a great impression and looks impressive. There are several halls here. One of them is called “Legends and Covers”. When you enter it, you will hear the speakers telling you that you are being watched. Your task is to come up with a fake name and pass a lie detector test. The second is “Spy School”. Here you will receive instructions on how to apply makeup correctly, how to follow the subject, eavesdrop, and take photographs. The third hall of the "Secret History". In it you can hear stories about special services and agents.

Mall and memorial parks

This is big open park, surrounded on one side by the Capitol and on the other by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. On your way from one to the other, you can visit several museums, the White House and the George Washington Memorial. It houses a large collection of exhibits and works of art. Most of Washington's museums are located within the park. This square is important in the public life of the city, rallies and protests are held here, history is created here.

On the territory of the Mall (as the National Mall is called) there is Smithsonian Institution, which created a network of free museums (ten of the nineteen museums are located in the park). Here you can see the best collection of art in the whole world. A huge collection of precious stones and minerals can be admired in Museum natural history . You can learn more about US history at Museum of American History. You can see vintage airplanes and spacecraft in National Air and Space Museum. If you want to admire paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Hoffmann, Bacon, go to Hirshhorn Museum.
The very majestic architecture and beauty make the National Mall very unusual place, where you can feel all the grandeur and significance of the capital of the United States.

Washington National Cathedral

The Washington Cathedral is a majestic building whose architecture is dominated by the Gothic style. Among the cathedrals around the world, this is the sixth largest. The cathedral took 83 years to build and was completed in 1990. Sandstone brought from India was used as the main building material. Beautiful stained glass windows and 112 gargoyles that adorn the walls of the cathedral fascinate tourists from all over the world. The high altar is made of sandstone brought from the Solomon quarries themselves. And in front of him are laid ten stones from the Chapel of Moses, which are symbols of the ten biblical commandments. The cathedral has ten completely different chapels. It is also the resting place of many prominent US figures. It is worth mentioning such unusual design elements as a stained glass window dedicated to the landing of man on the moon, and the head of Darth Vader among the gargoyles of the cathedral.

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Sights of Washington

1. White House

The main attraction of Washington is, of course, the White House, which isofficial residenceand main workplace US President.It is also a symbol of the United States to the rest of the world.This is where the president officially meets with foreign leaders and holds official dinners. HouseGeorge Washington was chosen for the White House, but President John Adams became the first in the White House.

The White House was burned by the British during the War of 1812, but was later reconstructed. reconstruction began almost immediately, and the president James Monroe moved into the partially reconstructed White Housein October 1817.

Two of its six floors are always open to tourists. Guided tours take you to the Green, Red and Blue rooms, as well as the dining room. It is in these premises that the US President holds official events and receives foreign guests. The presidential workplace is also open to tourists - the Oval Office, where bills are signed.

Official website: www.whitehouse.gov

2. United States Capitol

After the White House, the second main attraction in Washington in terms of importance and popularity among tourists is the Capitol. - which is located on top of Capitol Hill in the eastern part National Mall in Washington DC and is the residence United States Congress.

The Capitol is connected to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial by the 1,800-meter National Mall, and the buildings of the Library of Congress and the US Supreme Court are located nearby. There is a museum mile along the alley. The foundation stone was laid by George Washington on September 18, 1793.

Construction of the Congress was completed in 1800. Although the Capitol is not the geographic center of Washington, it forms the basis for street numbering in Washington. This is the starting point around which the city was founded. The Capitol is built in a unique neoclassical style and has a white exterior. The Capitol has been undergoing restoration since 2014; the work is planned to be completed in early 2017.

Official website: www.visitthecapitol.gov

3. National Mall

From a bird's eye view, the National Mall looks like a cross, clearly oriented to the cardinal points. In the center of the cross is the Washington Monument, in the northern part is the White House, in the eastern part is the Capitol, in the southern part is the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, in the western part is the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. All the space between these significant monuments is occupied by museums, including the Smithsonian Institution complex, consisting of 19 museums, galleries and a zoological park.

4. Washington Monument

Another popular tourist attraction in Washington DC is the Washington Monument, probably one of the most famous obelisks in the US and the world.Built in the 19th century, it is a monument to George Washington's military achievements during the Revolutionary War. Construction of the monument began in 1848 and was completed in 1888. HeightAt more than 170 meters, it is the tallest structure in Washington, DC.The monument has been closed since it was damaged by an earthquake in 2011. An opening date has not yet been set.

Website: www.nps.gov/wamo/index.htm

5. Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorialis American national monument, built in honor of the 16th p. US resident, Abraham Lincoln. It is located at the western end of the National Mall, across the street from the Washington Monument. The architect was Henry Bacon. Built in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial is one of several monuments built to honor an American president.

Along the perimeter of the building, built in the Greek style, there are 36 columns, symbolizing the number of united states during the reign of Lincoln (1809-1865). The names of all 48 states are embossed on the outside of the building, and a plaque with the names of Alaska and Hawaii is located in front of the entrance to the memorial. Inside there is a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and an inscription of two of Lincoln's famous sayings.

Website: www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm

6. Jefferson Memorial

Jefferson Memorialis a memorial dedicated to Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), this is one of the most important American Founding Fathers, namely Declaration of Independence, first US Secretary of State under the first President George Washington, second Vice President of the United States under the second President John Adams and third President of the United States (1801-1809), and as the founder of the University of Virginia.

Construction of the building began in 1939 and was completed in 1943. A bronze statue of Jefferson was added in 1947.

Website: www.nps.gov/thje/index.htm

7. Smithsonian Museum (National Air and Space Museum)

National Air and Space Museum (NASM) from the Smithsonian Institution presents a large collection of aviation and space technology, from the Wright brothers' plane to the Space Shuttle.It was created in 1946, and the National Museum opened the main building near L'Enfant Plaza in 1976. In 2014, the museum saw 6.7 million visitors, making it the 5th most visited museum in the world.

Located in Washington, DC , it is a center for research in history and science aviation and space flights.

Official website: airandspace.si.edu

8. Georgetown Neighborhood

Georgetownis historical district , which is located in northwest Washington, along the Potomac River . Founded in 1751 in the state Maryland. It became part of the nation's capital when Congress created the District of Columbia in 1871. Today, George Town is a fashionable place to live and work. Georgetown is home to the main campusGeorgetown Universityand many other attractions.

9. Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world.But the Library of Congress had humble beginnings, being founded in 1800 to house official US documents that were transferred from Philadelphia to Washington. For its first 100 years, it was primarily a reference library for Congress, but today is home to 158 million items, which include 36 million books in 460 languages ​​and 69 million manuscripts. It has the largest collection of rare books in North America.

Official website: www.loc.gov

10. Washington National Cathedral

Washington Cathedral or Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul - main cathedral of the Anglican Episcopal Church of the United States . The cathedral is the sixth largest in the world and the second in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt participated in the laying of the foundation stone Cathedral in 1907.The cathedral was built over 83 years and was completed only in 1990.

Official website: www.cathedral.org

Washington is the capital of the United States of America, while being a separate city that is not part of any state. District of Columbia (DC) - official name the capital, named after the country's first president, George Washington. In this article, I invite you to admire the most interesting and famous sights of the city, as well as learn about some interesting facts.

The capital of the United States was founded in 1791, and in 1871 Washington, along with a number of other neighboring territories, was united into a single District of Columbia. Interestingly, the USA also has a state of the same name, which is why the Americans themselves call the capital nothing more than DC (DC).

The population of Washington is 601,723 people, but people come here to work every day a large number of people from the suburbs, as well as many tourists. As a result, the population increases to 1 million people and even higher.

All US power is concentrated in Washington. The White House houses the office of the country's president; DC also houses the representative offices and headquarters of the World Bank, the IMF and many other organizations, as well as more than 150 embassies of various states.

The US Congress has supreme power over Washington. Due to special subordination, city residents have less freedom of self-government than residents of the states.

The city's motto is the Latin Justitia Omnibus, which translates as Justice for All.

During the research, scientists found that 4,000 years ago, Native Americans lived on the territory of modern Washington; there were several small settlements here.

The largest number of inhabitants in the city was registered in 1950 - 802,178 people. After the Great Depression of the 1930s, people began to arrive here to work in the government apparatus.

Among the memorable events in the history of Washington are the riots of 1968, which broke out after the assassination of Martin Luther King. Over the course of several days, many buildings were destroyed, and 13,000 soldiers were brought in to pacify the raging masses. It took more than thirty years to restore, the damage was so severe to the city.

A notorious event is the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, when a passenger plane crashed into the Pentagon building at full speed. On the same day, terrorist attacks took place in New York, when the famous twin towers collapsed. You can learn more about this from the collection A new look at
9/11 terrorist attack

Let's move on to geographical location a city that is located on three rivers - the Potomac, as well as its tributaries, Rock Creek and Anacostia. Washington is famous for its many parks; one fifth of the entire city territory is occupied by all kinds of green spaces. The average air temperature here is 14-15 degrees Celsius.

Surprisingly, in the 1990s, Washington was considered one of the most dangerous cities USA due to the highest crime rate in the country. Since then, the crime rate in the country has almost halved, so now the city is quite safe to live in, although certain problems still remain.

The city has one of the busiest subway systems in the country, second only to the New York City Subway. On weekdays, passenger traffic here exceeds 1 million people per day.

In addition to the main airport in Washington, Dulles Airport, there are two more airports here. Reagan Airport is used for domestic flights within the United States and is famous for its metro station.

The first stone was laid for the future official residence of the Presidents of the United States, known worldwide as the White House, on October 13, 1792. The project was designed by architect James Hoban, with the active participation of George Washington.

The first President of the United States not only made his own adjustments to the Hoban project, but was also an active participant in choosing the site for construction. According to Washington, it was to be a place on the Potomac River that would not exceed ten square miles. Eight years later, on November 1, 1800, construction was completed at a cost of $2.5 million.

The building of the presidential residence is made in the Palladin style, which is based on elements borrowed from ancient Greek temple architecture and strict adherence to symmetry.

The interiors of the White House are designed in different styles, each of them has not only original decoration and purpose, but also its own names. The oval Blue Hall is intended for official receptions, the Green Hall is for informal meetings. The presidents' office is the Oval Office. Visitors to the White House can see personal belongings of former US presidents, as well as members of their families.

Modern Art Museum

This museum is housed in a very nice building with a combination of old and new architecture. The portraits are simply magnificent. It's like a chance to visit with some amazing people from American history. Simply magical. And modern art is a lot of fun too.

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Lincoln Memorial

Visiting the Lincoln Memorial is a popular tourist destination in downtown Washington. It was built at the beginning of the twentieth century in memory of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. He became famous for leading the Northern states to victory in the bloody Civil War, ending an era when the economy was based on slave labor. Construction of the memorial complex took 8 years. It symbolizes the main idea of ​​President Lincoln - faith in human freedom.

The architecture of the Memorial resembles an ancient Greek temple - the building has the shape of a rectangle, which is made up of 38 snow-white marble Doric columns in height. The height of each column is about 13 meters, and the diameter is more than 2 meters. Two columns mark the entrance to the memorial, and the remaining 36 represent the number of states that made up the country during Lincoln's administration. The total height of the complex exceeds 50 meters.

The main attraction inside the memorial is the huge statue of Lincoln, which weighs 175 tons. The president, depicted in a thoughtful pose, seems to be looking at the Washington Monument and the Capitol. Nearby are two large slabs, one of which is carved with Lincoln's speech at his second inauguration, and the second with his speech after the Battle of Gettysburg.

The memorial complex is especially beautiful at night - the night illumination amazes with its originality and majesty. Next to the complex is the famous Sparkling Pool, which attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. This is one of the must-visit places for every tourist who wants to get to know the capital of one of the world's greatest powers.

The National Theater in Washington is the oldest theater in the United States, presenting performances since 1835. The performances, plays and musicals of the National Theater are comparable in level to those of Broadway. It survived five huge fires in the 19th century, one of which broke out during the production of Beauty and the Beast. The building was reconstructed on the same site five times, the last major reconstruction took place in 1984.

The theater was founded by prominent citizens of the city under the leadership of William Corcoran, who wanted to have a luxurious theater in their capital. The first production at the then not yet National Theater was “Man of the World”. The theater operated almost continuously, its audience consisted mainly of the city's high society - the White House is located a few blocks from the theater building. The name of the theater changed several times depending on the change of ownership. For a time, it was even managed by the famous actor Joseph Jefferson.

Now the National Theater boasts a hall with 1,676 seats. It hosted such famous premieres as Madama Butterfly and West Side Story. At different times, such world theater stars as Jenny Lind, Sarah Bernhardt, Vivien Leigh, Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hayes and many others visited its stage. Even now, the National Theater maintains the tradition of staging Broadway and pre-Broadway plays.

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, founded in 1800, is one of the largest libraries in the world and is the oldest public cultural institution in the United States. In addition to its unique library collections, it also attracts the attention of many visitors with its architecture. The Library of Congress complex includes three buildings on Capitol Hill connected by underground passages, as well as the Virginia State Depository.

The history of the Library is filled with numerous dramatic events, as is the history of the Capitol building in which it was located for almost the entire 19th century. The library was damaged by fire several times; most of the books that came to the library as a gift from the third US President, Thomas Jefferson, were destroyed in the fire.

In 1897, a new Library building was erected, the architecture of which displays elements of the Italian Renaissance. 26 artists and 22 sculptors worked on the project of the new building, and as a result of their joint creative efforts, a true work of art was obtained. In addition to its architectural charms, the Library was a real engineering miracle of that time - it housed its own power plant, fire-proof book depositories, as well as special elevators for books. The main facade of the Library building is decorated with a magnificent fountain, vaguely reminiscent of the famous Roman Trevi Fountain.

The collection of the Library of Congress includes more than 132 million copies of books published in 470 languages, hundreds of thousands of microfilms, about 5 million maps, sheet music, numerous engravings, photographs and even comics, more than 1 million copies of newspapers published over the last three centuries. This is a truly unique and universal selection of literature.

Eastern market

Eastern Market in Washington is the oldest public market and has been a center of commerce for over 200 years. It is located on Capitol Hill in a historic 19th-century brick building that is designated a landmark. The Eastern Market is much smaller than traditional public markets, but it is still a culinary treasure trove filled with history, tradition, and delicious food.

It offers a wide range of farm products, including fresh meats, baked goods, cheeses, vegetables and fruits. The attraction of the Eastern Market is the flea market, which amazes with its diversity. Craftsmen and antique dealers offer a large selection of goods from all over the world.

The market's gallery hosts art exhibitions, music and theater performances. The Eastern Market has a long history and is one of the attractive tourist sites.

Chinatown

Chinatown is one of the most interesting places in Washington. Active construction in this area began in the 30s of the twentieth century, when, on the recommendation of city authorities, the Chinese began to come here from the central districts of the city.

These days, Chinatown is a world-famous tourist quarter with many Asian restaurants and souvenir shops. Here is the famous Arch of Friendship, made in the style of a traditional Chinese gate. It was built in 1986 and features seven colorfully painted pagoda roofs and 272 dragons in the style of the Qing and Ming dynasties.

Chinatown is famous for its traditions - the annual celebration of the Chinese New Year, various festivals and colorful costume performances. The old Patent Office building houses two museums that are part of the famous Smithsonian Institution: the National Portrait Gallery and the American Art Museum.

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Potomac River

The Potomac is one of the major waterways of the United States, forming a significant portion of the border between the states of Maryland and Virginia, and West Virginia. The river originates in the Appache Mountains and flows into the Chesapeake Bay of the Atlantic Ocean. The banks of the river are picturesque: in the Harpers Ferry area it flows through a rocky gorge in the Blue Mountains and forms a waterfall, in addition, there is a real haven for fishing lovers.

The first Europeans set foot in the area around 1570, when the Spaniards visited these areas. Then in 1608, Captain John Smith described and mapped the river, after which traders from Virginia settled there. A few years later, the Potomac became the main transport artery of the colony. In the years Civil War the river formed the northeastern border of the Southern Confederacy.

The origin of the word "Potomac" is associated with the name of one of the Indian tribes that inhabited South coast. Historians believe that it meant “trading place” or “place to which tribute is brought.” As for the Indians themselves, they called the river “goose”.

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