Tourist attractions in Washington D.C. : The US Capitol

The US Capitol is located in eastern United States, in central Washington D.C. The massive building lies situated at the top of Capitol Hill at the very eastern end of the National Mall. It is the home to both the House of Representative and the US Senate, making it one of the worlds most influential and powerful places. The Capitol, and the surrounding Capitol Hill, is often host for political demonstrations and other major events, including presidential inaugurations held every four years.

Photo by IIP Design

The history if the US Capitol dates back to late 18th century, when George Washington signed the Residence Act of 1790, which made Washington DC the capital of the United States. Pierre Charles L’Enfant was made responsible for creating a city plan for the new capital. L’Enfant chose to locate the Congress House on the crest of the hill today known as Capitol Hill. The word Capitol is a Latin word which actually means “city on a hill”. 

Photo by Jeffrey

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The construction of the Capitol began in 1793, when President George Washington laid the foundation stone. The senate wing stood completed in 1800, while the House wing was completed eleven years later. By this time, the completed Capitol was only a small part of today’s building. The building was lacking its dome and it was not flanked by the outer buildings visitors can see connected to it today. The completed building didn’t last long, as the Capitol was set on fire shortly after its completion during the War of 1812 against the British. The reparation work however went smoothly which brought the building back to its former glory. 

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The reparation work was followed by several expansions of the building in the mid 19th century. These expansions include the massive dome crowned by a large bronze statue known as the “Statue of Freedom”. The statue depicts a female whose right hand holds a sheathed sword and in the other a laurel wreath of victory and the shield of the United States. She stands on an iron globe encircled with one of the national mottoes; “E pluribus unum” which is Latin for “Out of many - one”.

Photo by Stephen D. Melkisethian

The architectural planning was a joint effort of several architects. The initial design was done by amateur architect William Thornton who designed it in typical neoclassical style. Thornton was inspired by the Louvre in Paris and the ancient Pantheon. The inspiration from the latter is obvious when looking at the eastern façade with its temple like entrance. The main dome was inspired by several European churches, including the great dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and the St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Photo by Tom.Bricker

Capitol interior
While the outside of the Capitol is magnificent, the same is very much true for its inside. The inside holds several famous paintings depicting major events in the discovery of America and the foundation of the United States. The inside also holds the National Statuary Hall Collection, a collection consisting of statues donated by each state of the union. Each state has donated two statues picturing notable persons in their history. Together they form an impressive gathering of some of the most important people in the history of the states.

Photo by o palsson

As of December 2008, the Capitol also has a visitor center with an underground entrance on the east side of the Capitol. The main function of the visitor center is to serve as a more orderly entrance for visitors to the Capitol. The Capitol Visitor Center provides however much more than just an entrance. The center hosts a visitor’s theater, rooms for exhibits and dining and restroom facilities. Visitors can also find a plaster cast of the Statue of Freedom down in the underground center, next to the stairs leading up to the Capital itself. The total cost for building the underground, 3-level, 54.000 m2 Capitol Visitor Center was a stunning 621 million.


Text Source: worldsiteguides.com