Washington D.C. [antikvár]

INTRODUCTIONAt a private dinner attended by two of America's foremost statesmen, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, plans were made to build a federal capital. The year was 1790 and, as inter-state jealousies made it impossible to select any existing centre, a ten acre site on the Potomac River was ceded to the government, thereby creating the District of Columbia.The task of raising the money to buy the land and to construct the buildings was given to George Washington and he made an inspired choice of planner for the new capital when he appointed a Frenchman, Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant. He was a veteran of the War of Independence and had served with Washington at Valley Forge, a site near Philadelphia where the army had endured terrible hardships during the winter of 1777-78.L'Enfant, who was an accomplished engineer and architect, envisaged a city of wide, straight avenues with parks and squares and a Capitol building as the focal point. Many of his ideas were, however, scorned by Congress and he himself was ridiculed. It was only after his death that this talented man received the recognition that he truly deserved. His remains now lie in Arlington National Cemetery, which overlooks one of the most beautiful and impressive cities in the world.Today, Washington D.C. has an area of 69 square miles on the Maryland side of the Potomac River and a large tract of land on the Virginia side. The population now numbers over two million, a large number of whom work for the government. One of the United States' most recognised symbols must surely be the Capitol, whose site, Jenkins Hill, was selected by L'Enfant as a "pedestal waiting for a monument". Congress now meets in its two houses and a lantern above the massive, cast-iron dome is lit when they are in session. A statue of Freedom, crowning the dome, can be seen for many miles.The most impressive room in the Capitol is the Rotunda with its magnificent bronze doors portraying the story of Christopher Columbus. Around the walls hang enormous oil paintings depicting important scenes from American history. It is here that Presidents, statesmen and other important dignitaries lie in State. The nearby Statuary Hall was originally the legislative chamber of the House of Representatives and it is renowned for its statues and its strange reverberating acoustics.Washington's other equally famous building is the White House - official residence of the President of the United States. Its elaborate construction of white-painted sandstone, in the Italian Renaissance style, was designed by James Hoban, who also restored it after it was burned by the British in 1814. In 1948, the White House was found to be in a poor state of repair and during the following four years it was completely renovated. Later, much of the décor was remodelled by Mrs John F. Kennedy to reflect various periods with as much authenticity as possible. The East Room is the most celebrated and is used for weddings, receptions and other ceremonial occasions. The Green, Red and Blue Rooms, which need no explanation as to colour schemes, all contain exquisite furniture and fine paintings.South from the White House, across its sweeping lavms and over Constitution Avenue, is the world's tallest masonry structure - the Washington Monument. This distinctive landmark boasts 898 steps, from the top of which, on a clear day, breathtaking views stretching for up to 45 miles may be seen.The city's other monuments include the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. The former is in the style of a Greek Temple, with 36 columns representing the number of states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death, and 56 steps, one for each year of his life. Inside is the statue of the great man whose life was ended so tragically by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate fanatic, in a Washington theatre.Resembling his home, Monticello, is the Jefferson Memorial which encloses a 19 foot bronze statue of the 3rd President, who was largely responsible for the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.Amongst Washington's other classical buildings are the Supreme Court, with its vast Corinthian columns, the Library of Congress-one of the world's most comprehensive libraries-and the National Archives Building, which houses America's most precious documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.In contrast to these gleaming white buildings is the natural sandstone of the Smithsonian Institute, begun in 1846 and named after James Smithson, a British scientist who left a bequest of over half a million dollars to the United States to create "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of loiowledge among men". Although he never visited America during his lifetime his remains are now interred in a ciypt beneath the old tower Smithson's money was used to build a great museum, an art gallery, a zoo park and an astrophysical observatoiy.Across the Memorial Bridge from the Lincoln Memorial is Arlington National Cemetery which was first used for the burial of troops killed during the Civil War More recently Arlington has attracted world-wide attention as the resting-place of President John F. Kennedy and his Senator brother, Robert.Just a few miles down the Potomac River is Mount Vernon, the estate and home where George Washington lived and died, and where by his own wish he is buried, alongside his wife Martha.Facing page: the massive marble statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.