Other sights of Washington
Washington is a wonderful city; its fine parks, gardens and squares help to make the city beautiful. And one can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in it without a monument or a memorial. The most impressive and the best-known ones are the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument, which looks like a very big pencil is not far from the Capitol, on the Mall, a long grass-covered area that extends from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial. When its cornerstone was laid, a speaker said, “Build it to the skies, you cannot outreach the loftiness of his principles.” The height of the Monument is 160 metres and it’s hollow inside. A special lift brings visitors to the top in 70 seconds and from it they can enjoy a beautiful view of the whole city.
The Lincoln Memorial is built in the style of a classic Greek Temple. But it is neither temple, palace nor tomb but embodies something of each. Its marble walls seem to hold the spirit of Lincoln’s character and his belief that all men should be free - free to think and express themselves, and free to apply their natural talents and ambitions to lawful enterprise. The Memorial has 36 columns that show the number of states in the Union in Lincoln’s time. Inside the Memorial there is a large white marble statue of the 16th President of the United States who was well loved by his friends and supporters and fiercely hated by the enemies of the Union who killed him in 1865. On the stone walls of the Memorial two of Lincoln’s most famous speeches are carved, one of which is the speech he made on his second inauguration.
Washington is an important scientific and cultural center. There are five universities there (the most famous are Georgetown University, George Washington University and Howard University), the National Academy of Science and the famous Library of Congress, one of the largest libraries in the world. Every book, magazine or newspaper produced in the USA have to give a copy to the Library to keep. It is paid for by the government and is open to the public. The Library contains more than 13 million books and newspapers and 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents.
Another place of interest, though very solemn, is Arlington National Cemetery, which is on the other side of the Potomac River, opposite the capital. It is a resting place of many soldiers and leaders of the US military and other professions. The 35th President of the USA, J.F. Kennedy, the youngest and one of the most popular presidents of the country, killed in 1963 in Dallas, is also buried there. The Vietnam Memorial Wall, located on the Mall, has become a major attraction for the visitors of Washington.
Washington is a city of museums and art galleries where one can see all kinds of things: the original of the Declaration of Independence, famous paintings and sculptures, the largest blue diamond in the world, the dresses of some presidents’ wives and the like. Washington’s most popular tourist attractions are the Air Space Museum which is part of the world famous Smithsonian Museum, Washington Museum of Arts, The Natural History Museum, and the Holocaust Museum which recollects the terrible World War II events.
There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city’s numerous monuments from view. Besides, no building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall, that is, it can’t be higher than the White House.