Marble obelisk in honor of the first president; one of the most revered monuments in the city (DC). The height of this object directed to the sky is almost 170 meters. Before the advent eiffel tower, he beat all world records with his parameters. The memorial is located in the center of the American capital on the territory of the National Mall. It is included in the version of our site.
Inside the monument is hollow. Once upon a time, it was possible to climb 896 steps or an elevator to its top, but after 2011 it was closed to the public. Now the monument can only be viewed from the outside. Around it is almost always crowded. The main contingent of visitors are tourists and groups of schoolchildren studying the history of their country. Maryland marble and granite were used to build the most important national memorial. It was opened in Washington in 1888.
On the eastern side, at the top of the obelisk, a symbolic inscription of two words on Latin. In translation, the inscription reads "Praise be to God" and it is she who is illuminated first daily by the first rays of the sun. The process of creating the obelisk lasted a little over 50 years under the guidance of the architect R. Mills. The top of the Washington Memorial is crowned with a four-sided pyramid with 8 windows, behind which there is an observation platform. The 2011 earthquake in the eastern United States led to the fact that the entrance to the site was closed. Also, a crack was found on one of the walls of the pyramid.
This monument is visible from anywhere in the city. Geographically, it is located on the site between the Capitol and the White House. In the neighborhood you can see memorials dedicated to other presidents of the country, such as the Lincoln Memorial.
Photo Attraction: Washington Monument
Led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War against . He was awarded the title "Father of the Nation" and unanimously elected as the first President of the United States of America.
The Washington Monument was created in gratitude for the contribution he made to the new face of the republican federal state, where all people are equal.
In 1783, Congress approved a design for an equestrian statue of George Washington designed by Pierre Enfant. However, this project was not destined to materialize, and in 1833, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the birth of George Washington, James Madison and John Marshall founded the National George Washington Monument Society. They wanted to build the world's largest monument, matched in size and magnificence to the majesty of George Washington and reflecting the level of gratitude the citizens of the United States felt for him.
The society began to raise funds for the construction of the monument. At first, each person was allowed to deposit only $1. By 1836, only $28,000 had been raised. This was not enough for the construction of any monument, but it was quite enough to hold a competition for best project memorial, which was done.
A design competition organized in 1836 was won by the architect Robert Mills. In accordance with his plan, the monument was supposed to radiate the simplicity and splendor that were inherent in George Washington himself. The project was a simple obelisk rising in the central part of the National Mall. It was assumed that the height of the monument would reach 169.3 m, and the width at the base - 16.8 m.
When the estimated cost of building the monument was calculated, the society decided not to set an upper limit on the amount of donation per capita. The society soon managed to raise $88,000 and construction began. After the monument was brought to the level of 46 meters, the society's money ran out, and construction work had to be stopped. The construction was frozen for more than 20 years, in addition, the situation was aggravated by the outbreak of the civil war in the United States.
Interest in the Washington Monument was revived in 1876 - on the eve of the date of the first century of the history of the United States. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill confirming budget funding for the completion of the memorial. This project was handed over to the engineering troops, who completed construction in December 1884.
The monument was officially dedicated to George Washington the day before his birthday in 1885. But it was only in 1888 that the public was allowed inside the monument, because before that period the internal Finishing work were not completed.
And here are a few interesting facts About the Washington Monument:
On July 4, 1848, the cornerstone of the Monument was laid. The same trowel used by George Washington to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol in 1793 was used. To mark this solemn moment, several thousand people gathered around the construction site that day.
The thickness of the walls of the Monument is 4.57 meters at the base and 45 centimeters at the top.
The walls are covered with white marble, which was brought from Maryland.
Although the obelisk is hollow on the inside, there are 189 memorial carved slabs on its inner walls, which were donated by individuals, cities, states, societies and other countries of the world.
In 1858, construction was suspended due to the fact that the stones used above 46 meters were of a darker tone compared to those below.
The Washington Monument is surrounded by flags representing the 50 states of the United States.
The total cost of building the Monument was $1,817,710.
The monument was completed 30 years after the death of its architect, Robert Mills.
The Washington Monument is a giant obelisk located between the White House and the Capitol in Washington. It was built to commemorate the first american president, George Washington. The monument is a granite stele, lined with
The Washington Monument is a giant obelisk located between the White House and the Capitol in Washington. It was built to commemorate the first American president, George Washington. The monument is a granite stele lined with Maryland marble. Today it is the tallest stone structure in the world and the tallest obelisk: the height of the monument is 169.29 meters. There are also higher monumental monuments, but they are either not entirely stone, or they cannot be classified as true obelisks. One way or another, in the American capital, the Washington Monument is also the tallest building.
The history of the creation of this monument is interesting. In the centennial year of George Washington, 1838, the townspeople decided to start collecting donations for the construction of a monument that the world had not yet seen. A few years later, a competition for the best project was announced. It was won by the architect Robert Mills, who proposed a breathtaking obelisk project, on top of which it was supposed to put a statue of the first president. From below, the obelisk was supposed to be surrounded by a circular colonnade, topped by a chariot that would be driven by - who would you think? Yes yes exactly! George Washington! And along the circumference of the colonnade, Mills decided to put statues of three dozen figures of the American Revolution.
The project was truly monumental. But its cost was prohibitive. Therefore, in 1848, the townspeople decided to put the obelisk itself, and the issue of the colonnade was left “for later”. In the end, it was never built. After the laying of the monument, it was decided to collect donations not only in money, but also in marble slabs - ideally, each state had to provide its own slab, thus realizing its participation in the construction of the national monument.
Not without curiosities. The Society of Honor and Temperance had the words "We will never buy, sell or drink any liquid containing malt, wine, cider or any other alcohol" engraved on their stone. This stone was the first in a series of events that stopped construction for two decades. In the early 1850s, Pope Pius IX contributed a stone slab as a donation for the construction. And in March 1854, members of the anti-Catholic American Know-Nothings party stole the aforementioned stone and drowned it in the Potomac. After that, they also bought a controlling stake in the Monument Society, after which Congress stopped its donations and withdrew $ 200,000 from the construction (at that time it was a huge amount). Then the situation stabilized, and as a result, on December 6, 1884, the cornice stone of the monument was installed, and the construction was completed. The monument was officially opened on October 9, 1888. For a whole year after that, the monument was the tallest building in the world, but then the construction of the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, which took away the laurels from the monument.
The result is a hollow column with a tetrahedral pyramid at the top. The pyramid is made of aluminum, which in the 19th century was valued almost on a par with silver. Before being installed on top of the monument, it was placed on display to the public - it is interesting that some "craftsmen" climbed to its top, after which they could honestly boast that they "stepped over the Washington Monument."Instead of the Washington Monument, an observation platform was made at the top. But inside the monument, on the platform near the elevators, there is an exact bronze copy marble statue Washington by Houdon.
We bring to your attention a review compiled from primary sources about the Washington Monument - one of the main attractions of the capital of the United States.
Monument
Washington yesterday and today
File photo shows the Washington Monument and Mirror Pond on The Mall.
File photo shows the Washington Monument and Mirror Pond on The Mall. This photograph of the monument also shows the difference in the color of the marble facing that marks the "old" and "new" parts of the obelisk, which is also described in the publication. The illustration also shows the dome of the US Congress building on the horizon.
The US State Department website defines the National Washington Monument as follows (namely, this is the official name of the Washington Monument):
“This four-sided stone structure, located in Washington, DC, in the western part of the Esplanade, was erected in memory of the “father of the nation”, general, founding father and first President of the United States of America (1789-1797) George Washington.
The George Washington Memorial was created in the image and likeness of a classic Egyptian obelisk. The height of the monument is 169 m, and it towers over the entire city, being one of the highest stone structures in the world. 50 flags surround the base of the memorial and represent the 50 states of the Union. If you take the elevator to the top of this pyramid, then from the windows on the observation deck you will see views of the Lincoln Memorial, White House, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Capitol Building.
About the Esplanade mentioned in the text, see the second part of this review. In the meantime, about the Washington obelisk. The George Washington Monument is the tallest building in the capital of the United States. (And the tallest building in Washington is the Capitol, which is just below the Washington Monument, but it is actually forbidden to erect any buildings above the Capitol, although the name Capitol itself is not mentioned in the current law of 1910, but only numerical parameters of the maximum height of buildings are given).
A long detailed essay on the "Washington Monument is 100 years old" about the history of the construction of the monument, for its centenary, celebrated in 1984, was once published by the America magazine, published in Russian by the US government. Here are some excerpts from this detailed material (Journal "America", No. 337):
“The completion of the monument was preceded by a century of its design, hopes, unsuccessful beginnings of construction, the construction itself, including a quarter-century break as the country fought and slowly recovered from the terrible Civil War.
One can hardly overestimate the leading role of George Washington in American history. He helped shape the United States in three important ways: as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army that defeated England in the Revolutionary War; as President of the Convention that drafted the US Constitution; as the first President of the United States.
In an illustration from America magazine: An engraving showing the installation of the capstone on December 6, 1884, during the grand opening ceremony of the Washington Monument in the US capital.
The first call for a Washington Monument came as early as 1783, when the Continental Congress decreed that an equestrian statue should be erected in honor of a great general who had just led his army of volunteers to victory in the Revolutionary War. But new country there were other tasks and limited resources, and by the time of Washington's death in 1799, no monument to America's most revered man had yet been erected. This prompted Congress to start over the project, and over the next three decades, various plans were discussed to build a kind of mausoleum in the building of the Capitol itself. All of these plans failed when Washington's family refused to move his remains from his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia.
In 1833 prominent citizens of the capital created an organization called the George Washington National Monument Society to raise money for the construction of the obelisk we see today. (The monument was administered by this Society until the 1980s. The monument is now administered by the US National Park Service, which in 1998-2000 large-scale reconstruction structures, when the monument was completely covered with scaffolding. Note. website).
In 1836, the Society commissioned architects to propose designs for the monument. The winner was architectural engineer Robert Mills, who went on to build the Treasury Department Building, the Patent Office, and the Post Office in downtown Washington. Mills' project was to erect a 183-meter obelisk surrounded at the base by a round one with columns Greek temple 31 meters high (this part of the project was subsequently rejected).
The cornerstone of the monument was laid on July 4, 1848 (American Independence Day), using the same spade that Washington himself had used when laying the Capitol 55 years earlier. Speaker of the House of Representatives Robert Winthrop, speaking at the obelisk-laying ceremony, urged the citizens of America to build a monument that would “express the gratitude of the entire American people ... Build it to the sky! You cannot surpass the heights of Washington's principles."
The first few years the obelisk grew rapidly, but most of the work was interrupted in the mid-1850s, when the height of the monument was brought to 46 meters: a sharp debate about slavery unfolded, and the threat of a Civil War loomed. When Mark Twain was already working in newspapers in 1867, the monument had not yet been built. “It reminds,” Twain wrote, “of a factory chimney with a broken top, with a barn at the base, and tired pigs sleep in the holy silence of its fertile shade.”
In 1876, Congress appropriated funds to complete the building. On December 6, 1884, the last capstone was placed. The official opening ceremony took place on a platform just a few meters from the spire (As shown in the engraving at the top right. The monument was opened to the public four years later - October 9, 1888. Approx. Site).
So it stands today, towering over Washington. Its height is 169.3 m, the width at the base is 16.8 m, and at the top it is 10.5 m. The thickness of the walls is 4.6 m at the base and 46 cm at the top. It weighs 79,590 tons. In 1888, a steam elevator was installed in it, which in 1901 gave way to an electric one. Service national parks estimated that (by the time of the monument's centenary celebrations) more than 72 million people climbed the platform to look at the skyline of Washington from above. (America Magazine, No. 337).
Collection of facts
about the Washington Monument
Here are some facts about the George Washington Monument, starting from the data of the US State Department website and the Voice of America Russian broadcast, supplementing them with our editorial's research on the subject from other sources.
Location binding
The Washington Monument is located on the Washington Esplanade, in another "Mall", that is, a pedestrian street.
“The Esplanade - or as they call it here, the Mall - is a museum and park area in the very center of Washington between the US Congress building and the Lincoln Memorial. To imagine the Washington Esplanade, imagine a lawn more than three kilometers long and almost 100 meters wide, flanked by museums and government buildings across the street. Pierre Lanfant, developing the project of the esplanade, was guided by the layout of the Champs Elysees in Paris. He called his brainchild "Big Avenue".
This longest lawn in the US is crossed and bordered by paths of sand and gravel. If you wear suitable shoes, say, sneakers so beloved by Americans, the mall is quite a pleasant place for walking, jogging and other activities. active rest, football games, for example.
In the middle of the esplanade stands an obelisk - the memorial of George Washington, one of the most famous symbols US capitals. The shape of the obelisk is similar to a pencil, which is why Washingtonians jokingly call the monument a "pencil".
The esplanade is also decorated with two small artificial reservoirs, which are called "mirror ponds". One of them is located near the Capitol, the other - between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. The mirror pond near the obelisk is built in such a way that the entire stela is reflected in it, creating the illusion of two twin monuments.
The Esplanade is a place for demonstrations, festivals and celebrations. Here, on July 4, the celebration of Independence Day is held with concerts and fireworks. (Russian broadcast "Voice of America" 15/09/2002).
The original design of the monument
“The original design of the monument, created by Robert Mills, has undergone significant changes in the course of construction. The present appearance of the monument bears little resemblance to Mills' complex design, which was a combination of Greek and Egyptian architecture and involved the erection of a 600-foot obelisk surrounded by pantheon columns 250 feet in diameter and 100 feet high. Between the columns there were to be 30 niches, in which, over time, statues of prominent Americans were to be placed. The figure of Washington, dressed in a toga and driving a triumphal chariot, was to decorate the entrance. (US Department of State website).
This initial project of the monument, according to the researchers, was not implemented due to lack of funds. The George Washington National Monument Society accepted Mills' design without having the full amount for its implementation, deciding to start with the construction of an Egyptian obelisk, leaving the construction of a circular colonnade around the obelisk to the future. Later, despite the opinion of critics who considered the monument without the colonnade surrounding it “empty” and similar to an “asparagus stalk”, it was decided to confine itself to the Egyptian element already under construction from the Mills project - an obelisk.
Plates from donors and the Dunno League
“The monument consists of 36,491 stone slabs. The interior walls are adorned with 188 carved slabs donated by individuals, societies, cities, states and nations of the world.” (US Department of State website).
Among the many donators of slabs for the monument in the 1850s were American Indian associations and, for example, Pope Pius IX, whose slab was stolen and thrown into the Potomac River in 1854 by members of the American Nationalist Know Nothing League, holding anti-Catholic and anti-Irish views. (In the 1850s, this league briefly gained control of the National Monument Society to George Washington. This, and the aforementioned papal stone incident, led to a weakening of the flow of donors and a temporary withdrawal from participation in the state project, and, as a result, to a halt in construction. Know Nothing relinquished leadership of the Monument Society in 1858).
In the same years, the Ryukyu Kingdom, independent of Japan, donated a stone that was brought to the United States by the notorious Commodore Perry (discoverer of Japan for the modern West), but the slab never reached Washington. Some donors of the time decorated their slabs with inscriptions unrelated to the memory of George Washington. For example, members of the Temperance Society adorned their Washington Monument slab with the inscription: "We will not buy, sell, or use any liquor, malt, wine, cider, or any other liquor." Many slabs from that time have now been replaced.
Different colors of marble bottom and top
“Do you know that the monument has a “ring”? Due to construction failures, the monument stood for 25 years unfinished, about 150 feet high. Work resumed in 1880. However, the newly supplied marble slabs were from a different quarry. The difference in the color of the facing marble marks the "old" and "new" parts of the obelisk. The marble came from three different quarries and it was impossible to match the color of the old and new stone". (US Department of State website).
The George Washington National Monument Private Society came to the aid of the army during the second phase of construction. The monument was completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Pond next door
“Between the George Washington Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial is Mirror Pond. This pond, 2,000 feet long and 160 feet wide, contains 7 million gallons of water. It was created in the likeness of the reservoirs in Versailles and the Taj Mahal. The arrangement of the pond minimizes the disturbance on the surface of the water and increases the sharpness of the water reflection of the monument.” (US Department of State website).
Elevator
The steam elevators originally installed were considered unsafe for women and children, who were supposed to climb to the top of the Washington Monument only through the structure's internal staircases. The public now ascends the monument in an elevator.
Incidents
In 1982, 66-year-old nuclear disarmament activist Norman Mayer drove a van up to the monument and threatened to blow it up to protest the arms race. Mayer ended up being shot after negotiations by the police, who, according to her statement, aimed at the van's engine, but not at Mayer. Mayer did not have any explosives or accomplices.
Free
The Washington Monument is open daily except July 4 and December 25. In summer (from May 31 to September 6) it is open to visitors from 9 am to 10 pm. In winter, the building closes at 17:00. Entrance to the monument is free, but you need to get a ticket. All relevant information on the Washington Monument page on the US National Park Service website;
When to UNESCO?
Unlike the other famous monument USA - the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Washington Monument is still not included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, where the New York statue has been included since 1984.
The review was prepared using materials from the magazine "America" from the archive of the website, the website of the US State Department for Russia infousa.ru and the Russian broadcast of "Voice of America".
Website compilation
The Washington Monument - a colossal obelisk on the National Mall - was erected in memory of the first president of the United States.
George Washington is a legendary figure in American history: one of the founding fathers of the country, commander in chief of the Continental Army that won the war for independence, progenitor of the American political system. He was born into the family of a wealthy slave planter, but came up with the idea of freeing the slaves. He made a career as an officer in the British forces, but took command of the army of the colonies who had settled. After the victory over the British, he could easily retain power, but voluntarily resigned and returned to his plantation. This move shocked Europe so much that King George III named his enemy the greatest symbol era.
Washington was elected president twice, both times by unanimous majority of the electors - the only time in the history of the country. He refused to run for the third time, since then there has been an unspoken rule - the president is entitled to no more than two terms. The exception was Roosevelt, who was elected four times, but the justification was the war.
The idea of the monument national hero took possession of the minds immediately after the death of Washington in 1797. At first, Congress decided to install it equestrian statue. The implementation of the project was hampered by political squabbles. In 1832, in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the first president, a public committee announced a competition for the design of the monument. The winner, architect Robert Mills, proposed an obelisk topped with a statue of Washington surrounded by a colonnade. In 1848, according to the Masonic ritual, the first stone was laid - Washington was, as you know, a Freemason. By 1854, the money had dried up, work did not stop only thanks to patrons who donated stones for the obelisk. The marble block was also presented by Pope Pius IX, which caused indignation among anti-Catholics - they stole the stone and drowned it in the Potomac. Against the backdrop of the scandal, Congress refused to fund the work, soon began Civil War construction resumed only in 1879.
The work went much faster and was completed in just four years. It is clearly seen that the lower third of the obelisk erected before the war is lighter than the top - it was not possible to pick up marble of the same shade. The circular colonnade was abandoned. The stone column was crowned with a three-kilogram sparkling cap made of a rare and very expensive aluminum metal at that time. In just three years, aluminum was already worth a penny.
The monument was unveiled in 1885. Then it was the tallest building in the world, but in 1889 the Eiffel Tower took the palm. Now the Washington Monument remains the highest stone structure in the world (169 meters).
Happened in 2011 in Virginia strong earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene. The monument was covered with cracks, but survived. For some time it stood in the forests, in May 2014 it reopened to visitors. Inside the obelisk there is an elevator that takes tourists to the top in 70 seconds. local viewpoint- the highest in the capital, the views from here are stunning.
