Picture of the Lincoln Memorial. Panorama Lincoln Memorial

Construction of the Lincoln Memorial started in 1914, by architect Henry Bacon. Inside the building is 19-meter statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln looking thoughtfully towards the Capitol.

At the Lincoln Memorial it was said several famous speeches, including "I Have a Dream" Martin Luther King Jr August 28 1963.

In 1867, soonafter the death of Abraham Lincoln, the US Congress decided to build a large monument in his honor.

Initially, the project included a composition of six equestrian and 31 foot statues. huge size, with a 12-foot statue of Lincoln in the center. However, the construction of the memorial never began. due to the lack funds.

In 1910 two members of Congress, Shelby M. Cull and Joseph G. Cannon, managed to push through construction billLincoln Memorial, which was signed in February 1911 by President William Taft.$2 million was allocated for construction work, but the final cost of the memorial was $3 million.

The first stone was Laid down on Lincoln's birthday February 12, 1914. The memorial was opened on May 30, 1922, 57 years afterof deathAbraham Lincoln. The opening ceremony of the memorial was held by the former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft.

Over fifty thousand peopletook part in the ceremony. FROM among them were hundreds veterans civil war, as well as the sole survivor President Lincoln's son - Robert Todd Lincoln.

building exterior

New York architect Henry Bacon modeled the memorial in the style of a Greek temple. Building length 204 feet (62 meters), width- 134 feet (41 meters), height - 99 feet (30 meters), column height - 44 feet (13 meters). 36 columns symbolize states that were part of the union after the death of Lincoln (25 US states and 11 southern states).

White marble limestone was brought from Colorado for the exterior walls from Indiana, pink floor marble from Tennessee, and marble for the ceiling from Alabama.

Outdoorthe walls of the building are carved with the names of all48 states that were part of the USA at the time of completion of the memorial in 1922. In 1959, after accession to the USAAlaska and Hawaii, at the entrance to the memorial there was a sign with the names of these two states.

In 1923 Bacon received the Gold Medal American Institute of Architectsfor designLincoln Memorial.

Interior

A statue Lincoln is located in the center of the building. Sculptor Daniel Chester French depicted the 16th President of the United States sitting on an armchair and looking towards the Capitol. The statue is made frombrought from Georgia28 marble blocks, weight 175 tons, height 19 feet (5.8 meters) and the same width. Above the statue of Lincoln are engraved the words:

“In this temple as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the union the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.”

translation:

"In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln will live forever."

On the northern and southern walls memorial, engraved - Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and the text of his second inaugural address. Above the inscriptions rise frescoes representing principles freedom, justice, unity, brotherhood and charity.

The memorial is open around the clock, annually it is visited by about 6 million tourists.

Of all the US presidents, Abraham Lincoln is the most revered in the world. And the monument that was erected to him in Washington is a worthy tribute to the memory of this man, who has a wonderful combination of the best character traits: stamina, honesty, tolerance. The sixteenth US President Abraham Lincoln went down in the history of the country as its liberator from slavery. In gratitude for his services to the Fatherland in the historical part of Washington, in the National Alley complex, a memorial was erected to him with a thank you inscription. The idea to build the Lincoln Memorial arose in 1856, immediately after the President's assassination.

Several sculptors competed for the best project of the monument, however, only in 1914 did its construction begin, which ended only in 1922. The opening of the Lincoln Memorial took place on May 30, 1922 in front of more than fifty thousand people. The author of the project was Henry Bacon, a specialist in the field of sculpture and the author of a memorial in the city of Lincoln, located in Nebraska.

The Lincoln Memorial is a majestic temple, made in the ancient Greek style and somewhat reminiscent of the Parthenon. It is supported by 36 white marble columns, representing the number of states that belonged to the United States at the time of President Lincoln's death. In the center of the temple is a statue of the president sitting in a chair. Its height is 5.79 meters. It seems that the statue is made from one solid piece of marble, however, in fact, it consists of many parts, interconnected so professionally that the points of adhesion are almost invisible.

On either side of the wall are two of his most famous speeches - the speech at the opening ceremony of the National Soldiers' Cemetery at Gettysburg in November 1863, and the second inaugural speech, which was delivered a month before the end of the Civil War, on March 4, 1865. At the top, on the cornice, there are 48 garlands symbolizing the 48 states that were part of the United States at the time of the opening of the Lincoln Memorial. The building is 57 meters high and 36 meters wide.

At night, the monument is illuminated by searchlights, and every year on February 12, the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, Americans lay a wreath here. The Lincoln Monument is located near the Potomac River, on the same line as the Washington Monument, which overlooks the amazing Glittering Pool, and the Capitol. A little to the west, the Arlington Bridge spanned the Potomac River, which is also a symbol of the unification of the northern and southern states - after all, it was precisely for this that US President Abraham Lincoln fought with all his might.

Near the Lincoln Memorial, the most important historical events took place more than once. One of the most famous was the rally on August 28, 1963, when the workers marched on Washington for freedom and jobs. On that day, more than 250,000 people listened to Martin Luther King's world-famous speech. In his speech, paying tribute to the Emancipation Manifesto, published exactly 100 years before this event, he uttered his words “I Have a dream” (“I have a dream”), and told about his own vision of life in a democratic and free country in which there is no racial discrimination. During his speech, King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And already 40 years later, in commemoration of this event, a memorial plate with the words "I Have a dream" was installed here.

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Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous US Presidents. It was he who led the state during the Civil War and won it, putting an end to slave labor and legitimizing the equality and freedom of all citizens. Today, not only Americans, but also many representatives of other nations know who Lincoln is. The sixteenth memorial is one of the most iconic and will be of interest to every tourist.

History of creation

Lincoln did much for the prosperity of his country and the American people. The decision to perpetuate the memory of this outstanding politician was made in 1867. However, for various reasons, the start of the construction of the majestic complex was postponed and postponed several times. In 1913, they finally chose a place for construction and approved the project. A year later, the first foundation stone was laid. The grand opening took place in 1922. The ceremony was attended by the son of the great president - Robert Todd Lincoln. The memorial turned out to be impressive and incredibly beautiful. Today it is a popular tourist attraction. It is officially administered by the National Park Service.

Description of the attraction

The author of the project is Henry Bacon, an architect who proposed to make a memorial in the traditions of ancient temples - with a magnificent colonnade and other characteristic elements. Limestone brought from Indiana and marble quarried in Colorado were used to build this majestic building. The facade of the building is surrounded by 36 columns - that is how many states were united by the day Lincoln died. The memorial is not only a sign of memory of an outstanding politician, but also a symbol of the equality of all representatives of the American nation and civil freedom. On the walls of the building you can read the names of 48 states of America (that's how many there were at the time of completion). Later, two more appeared: Hawaii and Alaska - the states that joined last, so they are mentioned on a separate plate.

Statue of the great president

Not only the appearance of the memorial deserves attention. Inside it is a huge statue of Lincoln. The height of the sculpture is 5.79 meters, and the total weight is 175 tons. The President is depicted in a sitting position, in a comfortable chair. His face is turned towards the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Various urban legends interpret this feature of the sculptural composition in different ways. However, the most common version is that Lincoln calmly and thoughtfully contemplates these buildings, without expressing any vivid feelings. Inside the memorial are also two commemorative plaques, one with the President's speech during the inauguration, and the second with an address after the battle of Gettysburg. The interior of the memorial is decorated with frescoes reflecting the life path and personal convictions of the great politician.

According to some versions, the statue of Lincoln is not at all simple. The face of General Robert E. Lee is said to be carved into the back of the president's head, looking out over the former home, now the cemetery. Another belief is also popular, according to which Lincoln shows his initials in sign language with his hands. Representatives of the National Park Service officially refute such urban legends. Meanwhile, the sculptor who created this statue really knew American sign language and could well give the president's hands the right position.

How to get to the Lincoln Memorial?

Today, one of the main symbols of freedom and equality of all people in America is open to tourists all year round. The memorial is located on the National Mall in Washington, and during its visit you can see other significant sights. Very close to this monument is the famous sparkling pool. The exact address of the attraction is 2 Lincoln Memorial Circle, Washington, District of Columbia 20037, United States. If you are not familiar with the United States, know that it is enough to get to Washington and ask any local where the Lincoln Memorial is located. Attention: during the day there are too many tourists. If you want to fully experience the grandeur of the monument and be alone with your thoughts, come early in the morning or after sunset. At night, the majestic memorial is illuminated and looks completely different than during the day, somehow mysterious.

Does everyone like the Lincoln Memorial (Washington)?

Citizens of America are especially reverent about the history of their state and outstanding figures of the past. All schoolchildren are instilled with a deep sense of patriotism and a special attitude towards political figures. Abraham Lincoln (a memorial dedicated to him has long been considered one of the significant symbols of Washington) is also for his people one of the special presidents who made a significant contribution to the prosperity of his country. However, despite widespread love and respect, the main monument of the 16th state manager, apparently, is not liked by everyone. The Lincoln Memorial has been vandalized twice. For the first time, its back wall was painted, and the second time, the legs of the statue were poured with paint. The persons found guilty in these cases failed to adequately explain the motives of their actions. These incidents stirred up the public, most of the respectable citizens of the United States were excited and outraged. The memorial is considered one of the national symbols and is liked by most

The agility of some of our anti-Sovietists will be envied even by Ukrainian pravoseki. Those are haunted by the monuments of Lenin, and ours are furious because of the mausoleum on Red Square, even if it is covered from the gaze of passers-by by all available means.

With another anti-Soviet initiative, one of the deputies of the party of liberal democrats came forward (Zhirinovsky, as you know, the remains of Lenin have long haunted). As reported in the news of January 10, LDPR deputy Ivan Sukharev suggested discussing the issue of Lenin's burial. You understand, the deputy does not like that money from the budget is spent on the maintenance of the mausoleum.

First of all, it should be noted that Mr. Sukharev is lying. Lenin's body is already buried in the mausoleum. The tomb or mausoleum is a common way of burial all over the world, including Russia. Nothing worse than any other way.

Wikipedia has an interesting article that simply lists such burial structures -. Looking into this article, we find:

• Mausoleum of A. Lincoln in Springfield (Illinois, USA, from 1871-1874)


• W. Grant Mausoleum (Gen. Grant National Memorial) in New York (New York State, USA, since 1897)


• Mausoleum of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Frogmore Estate, Berkshire,


• Great Britain, from 1862-1871, Victoria - from 1901)


• Great Britain Mausoleum of Hamilton in Hamilton (Scotland, Great Britain, from 1842-1858)


• Mausoleum of the Welfs (Hannover, Germany, from 1842)


• Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen in Nanjing (PRC, from 1926-1929)


• Mausoleum of M. B. Barclay de Tolly in the village of Jõgeveste (Helme parish, Estonia, since 1832)


• Mausoleum-crypt to Russian soldiers in Razgrad (Bulgaria, from 1879-1880)


• Mausoleum of N. I. Pirogov in the village of Vishey near Vinnitsa (Ukraine, since 1881)


• Mausoleum of Alexander I of Battenberg in Sofia (since 1897)


• Mausoleum-chapel of St. George the Victorious (remains of Russian and Romanian soldiers) in Pleven (Bulgaria, from 1903-1907)


• Mausoleum of Karageorgievich in the Church of St. George in Oplenac (Topola community, Šumadija district, Serbia, since 1910)


• Monument-mausoleum of the soldiers of the Soviet Army in Lodz (Poland, since 1961)


• and many others

But there is still such a burial structure as a tomb. For example, there are tombs of Russian tsars in the Peter and Paul Fortress

Tomb of Admiral Nakhimov

Etc. etc.

Why is no one in the Duma worried about the fact that these remains are not interred? Because the body of the deceased does not have to be given to the earth in order to consider him buried.

If we take old Soviet newspapers and see what they say about Lenin's death, we will see that the mausoleum was the place burial remains of V.I. Lenin.

Therefore, if Lenin's body already buried, then what is the LDPR deputy talking about? Contrary to world experience and common sense, consider Lenin's body not buried? That won't work. With all the desire, no matter how someone's hands itch, it will not work to bury Lenin. It can only rebury, but it's not exactly the same thing.

If the burial of the body can be explained by a certain humane attitude towards the deceased, then the reburial from a place of honor on Red Square cannot be explained by any other reasons than revenge on the deceased. This is revenge on Lenin from ungrateful descendants who for some reason drove it into their heads that the Soviet state was a black hole and a disgrace in the history of Russia, and therefore they want to get rid of the symbols of that era. With this, everything is clear. The only question is why a society that for the most part perceives the Soviet past in a completely different way, is proud of it, should follow the lead of a bunch of demon-possessed anti-Soviet people?

I will say for myself: I am categorically not satisfied with such talk about liberal, as it were, democrats. Let them decide what they want, but let them just try to touch Lenin - I'll be in Moscow the next day. You didn't put it in, and you can't take it out. Let the people say their word in the referendum, but until they say it - it's not for you, gentlemen, to defile the burial place of the founder of the Soviet Union.

I call on all red bloggers and everyone who cherishes our Soviet past to unite in order to give a resolute rebuff to all attempts of anti-Soviet grave-diggers to dance on the remains of Lenin.