There are places in the world that will take your breath away. There are buildings that seem to have been created with the help of nature, but not man. However, there are few such structures that at first glance make you feel proud of the country and the people who live in it. One of them is the Lincoln Memorial in Washington - a place that always reminds millions of people of their newfound freedom.
In the very heart of the United States of America - Washington, there is a memorial that we so tremulously guard every citizen of the country. On the National Mall there is a snow-white marble memorial, which was created to perpetuate Abraham Lincoln (16th President of the United States). To this day, this monument to freedom, democracy and human rights is known not only to every American, but also to people outside this country.
Ways to get a US visa on your own - read our article.
History of creation
If you ask an American about which president causes him the most respect and admiration, you will certainly hear that this is Abraham Lincoln. Indeed, a person who was able to free a democratic country from dirty slavery is worthy of the greatest respect. Unsurprisingly, Lincoln is also one of the most famous US presidents around the world. All this served the fact that one of the most grandiose memorial complexes in the world was created to bring the name of this great man into history and into the hearts of people.
Shortly after Lincoln was killed, the US government unanimously decided to erect a memorial in his honor. Such that it would not only be a decoration of the city and a place of remembrance of the work done by the 16th President, but would also reflect Lincoln's faith in the freedom of people under any circumstances.
The authorities approached the construction of the complex very seriously: several dozen of the best architects and sculptors presented their work on the project of the future monument to the commission. The victory in this fight was won by Daniel Chester and Henry Bacon, who are quite famous sculptors in the USA. They approached the work very painstakingly, and the construction of the memorial lasted for eight whole years (1914-1922). The grand opening of the monument was attended by over 50,000 people, each of whom wanted to pay tribute to the memory of the great personality.
What is the memorial
Today, the memorial attracts crowds of tourists not only because of the history of the person in whose honor it was erected, but also because of the unusual nature of the structure itself. In appearance, the Lincoln Memorial resembles a Greek temple with its imposing columns and amazing whiteness of the stone. Many even compare it to the Greek Parthenon.
This similarity is explained by the fact that there are 36 marble columns around the perimeter of the entire memorial, which amaze with their snow-white brilliance. Their number was not chosen by chance, because that is how many states were part of the state during Lincoln's time. That is why this amazing American "temple" is considered a special symbol of the United States of America, even though today the number of states has increased.
In the very center of this magnificent building sits a statue of Abraham Lincoln himself. His gaze is directed to the notorious Capitol, and in the whole pose one can feel the inner confidence and power that were inherent in the 16th president. The statue is almost 6 meters high and weighs more than 150 tons. It should be noted the magnificent work of the sculptors: it seems as if the statue consists of a monolith. In fact, it is assembled from many rather large pieces of marble, but the joints are so skillfully disguised that even the most skeptical visitor cannot find them.
If you go inside the memorial, you will see two imposing marble slabs. They are engraved with Lincoln's most significant speeches. Also here are the names of all the states of America engraved in stone.
Interesting facts about the Lincoln memorial
How much Lincoln was respected by the people can be seen from the fact that it was at his memorial that events took place that significantly influenced history and people in general.
Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech near this marble monument. About 300,000 people witnessed this historic event. All of them heard great words about the desire to live in a "democratic and free country where there is no place for racial discrimination", which stirred hope for the best in the hearts of a crowd of thousands. It is all the more significant that this happened at the memorial of the man who gave people faith during his lifetime.
In America, many popular places are surrounded by an aura of mystery. The Lincoln Memorial is no exception; a couple of tales also affect it. According to the first of them, on the back of the statue of the president was the face of Robert E. Lee, a general of the army of the Confederate States of America, who looked after his mansion in Arlington.
Another legend says that the position of the statue's hands is no coincidence: with the help of sign language, Lincoln demonstrates the first letters of his name. The left hand shows the letter "A", while the right hand shows the letter "L". This becomes very similar to the truth due to the fact that the sculptor who worked on the statue knew sign language, because one of his sons was deaf. Other speculation says that in this unusual way, the creator of the statue wanted to express gratitude to Lincoln for establishing Gallaudet University.
Lincoln Memorial took part in the filming of the popular film "Night at the Museum", where the sculpture of the 16th President of the United States comes to life and helps the main characters.
There is not a single American in the United States who does not know or respect Abraham Lincoln. It is not surprising that on February 12, natives of the United States gather near this memorial complex, who, even after so many years, want to pay tribute to the memory of this great man on his birthday. However, even tourists who come to visit this place can hardly remain indifferent to such a magnificent building. And from there they will definitely take with them a particle of the freedom that Abraham Lincoln gave to such a large number of people.
A few more interesting places in the USA: the Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square - read on our website.
