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Capital of the District of Columbia (with which, de facto, administratively,
it coincides) and capital of the United States, 125 m sm, 646.449
residents (2013), 5,949,859 residents (2013) the urban area.
State Overview
Located on the east coast of the United States, 50 km from the Atlantic
Ocean, it is located between Maryland and Virginia, from which it is separated
by the Potomac River (at the confluence of the Rock Creek and Anacostia
rivers). The metropolitan area of the city has been expanding with time, so
much so that today it leaves the boundaries of the district also extending to
seven counties of Maryland, five counties of Virginia and five autonomous cities
of the same state. Washington is home to all of the country's major government
institutions: White House (residence of the President of the United States),
Capitol (seat of Congress), Supreme Court and Pentagon. To these are added
numerous ministerial bodies and some international organizations, including
the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the Organization of American
States. Washington is also home to NASA, the US aerospace agency. Washington is
home to Georgetown University (1789), George Washington University, (1821),
Howard University (1867) and Catholic University of America (1887).
Urban
Washington's planning was entrusted to the French Pierre L'Enfant, who
designed it (1790) according to a V-scheme (the two branches correspond to the
Potomac and Anacostia rivers), whose focal points were to be the Capitol
(started in 1793 by W Thornton) and the White House (work by J. Hoben and BH
Latrobe, begun in 1792), both located on hills with large parks (Mall and
Executive Grounds) and joined directly by an axis made up of Pennsylvania Avenue
and the Washington Mall. The plan was configured as a complex frame of
orthogonal arteries which in their intersections gave rise to minor fires: the
fifteen squares symbol of the States of the Union; to the grid system (already
adopted for other American cities such as Annapolis and Philadelphia) then
overlapped another network of diagonal streets, a kind of star system of evident
Baroque inspiration. L'Enfant's plan was implemented, albeit slowly and only
partially, during the century. XIX, when the city took on that grandiose and
classical aspect that it still preserves. After the civil war, Washington's pace
of expansion required new planning measures (AP Shepherd plan, 1871). With the
creation of the Senate Park Commission (which included D. Burnham and FL Olmsted
jr.) The scheme of L'Enfant was adequately taken up to complete it. The new plan
of 1901 (better known as McMillan Plan, named after Senator James McMillan,
president of the commission) aimed to build congress buildings on Piazza del
Campidoglio, free the Mall from any intrusion and create a cultural center on
its sides, extend the Mall park to W, build an administrative center between it,
the Capitol and the White House. The plan was implemented in the early decades
of the twentieth century. It was designed by D. Clarke in 1941 for a large
business center east of the Campidoglio up to Anacostia. Of particular interest
is the urban renewal of the south-eastern area (1960). Subsequently, the Federal
Government showed greater attention to the architectural quality of government
buildings (plans for Pennsylvania Avenue of the American Institute of
Architects). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the twentieth
century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against the
abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the
reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the
pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in
Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue
in Capital Hill). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the
twentieth century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against
the abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the
reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the
pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in
Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue
in Capital Hill). The architectural interventions of the eighties of the
twentieth century aimed at reproducing historically consolidated images against
the abstract figuration of previous years. The attitude that guided the
reorganization of the suburbs was similar, in which a formal continuity with the
pre-existences was created (Madison National Building, the student pension in
Georgetown, the Penn Theater and the tertiary building on Massachusetts Avenue
in Capital Hill).
History
It was specifically founded as the capital of the United States with
Congressional laws (1790-91), in order to host the federal government after
gaining independence. The decision not to install the seat of executive power of
the Union in an already existing city responded to the need to avoid rivalry
between states and to remove government from possible pressure. The territory on
which it was built (100 square miles then reduced to 70), located along the
Potomac, was ceded by Virginia and Maryland and constituted in the autonomous
territory called District of Columbia. Opened in 1800, Washington was invaded by
the British in 1814 and severely damaged by flames. The city was seriously
threatened even during the civil war, during which it became the center of the
Union's political and military activity.
Architecture art
Numerous neoclassical and neo-Renaissance buildings and monuments of the
second half of the 19th century (Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress,
monuments in Jackson, Adams and Grant), although the most noteworthy work is
perhaps the Cabin John bridge, by MC Miegs (1857-59). The Capitol (Capitol) is
perhaps the best-known building in the city, a symbol of American democracy: it
was G. Washington himself to lay the first stone in 1793. During the invasion of
the British in 1814, the building was destroyed; it was later rebuilt by
designing the large iron dome (1855) and the wings of the Chamber and the Senate
(1857). The presidential palace, better known as the White House, was the
official home of the President in office, was also built at the end of the
eighteenth century and was destroyed in 1812; it was then rebuilt and repainted,
precisely white. It was President T. Roosevelt to give permission to formalize
the name 'White House'. The neo-Gothic Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint
Paul (episcopal) dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century.It started
in 1908, designed by GF Bodley and H. Vaughan, like other classical buildings
(Supreme Court, National Gallery) and famous monuments, like the Lincoln
Memorial (1914-22).. More recent are the National Gallery East Wing of Ieoh Ming
Pei (1978); the extension of the Folger Shakespeare Library by Hartman-Cox
(1981); Keyes Condon Florance's Washington Design Center (1983) and Arthur
Erikson's Canadian Embassy (1988) and the Washington Monument, a marble obelisk
erected to commemorate the founding father of the United States. Just outside
the town is the Arlington National Cemetery, where President John F. Kennedy and
Senator Robert Kennedy rest, in addition to the American soldiers who fell
during the various wars. The victims of the Vietnam War are remembered with the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982), a dark granite structure designed by the
architect Maya Lin.
Museums
In addition to the National Gallery of Art, among the most important museums
in the world, which houses masterpieces of European painting (English, Dutch,
Flemish, French, Italian and Spanish) from different eras, the Freer Gallery of
Art (with collections of art) Oriental, 19th century American paintings and a
collection of Egyptian and Roman glass) and the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library
and Collection, where there are collections of Byzantine and Oriental art and
above all archaeological material of great interest (Barberini sarcophagus, 4th
century AD). C.; mosaics from Antioch; numismatic collection; reliefs from
Persepolis). Particularly interesting for the wide panorama on the sculpture of
the century. XX is the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, which collects a
rich collection of works of Rodin, Calder, Moore, Warhol), donated by the patron
Joseph H. Hirshhorn in 1966. The Phillips Collection preserves ancient paintings
(El Greco, JB Chardin, F. Goya) and a remarkable collection of French
impressionists (E. Degas, C. Monet, E. Manet, A. Renoir) and post-impressionists
(P. Cézanne, V. Van Gogh). To remember also: the National Museum of Natural
History (among the most visited museums in the world, with over 9 million
visitors every year), the National Air and Space Museum and the National
Portrait Gallery.
Libraries
Two of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the city are the
National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution, an education and
research center, founded in 1846, which includes various sectors, among which
those dedicated to technology and natural history are particularly
important. The three national libraries of the USA are also located in
Washington: the Library of Congress (Library of Congress, with over thirty-two
million volumes and millions of other media, including multimedia), the National
Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library. Among the other
libraries in Washington, the Folger Shakespeare Library is also worth
mentioning: founded in 1932, it houses the largest and most precious collection
of materials on W. Shakespeare, in addition to Renaissance volumes, manuscripts
and valuable works and theatrical texts.
Economy
Born to be the capital city, most of Washington's active population finds
employment in the administrative, commercial and financial sectors, while
industry and commerce play a minor role. Tourism and telecommunications have a
certain importance. There are numerous law firms. The river port has local
importance. The city is served by an international airport (in Dulles) and
Washington National Airport.
Curiosity
Every year, between March and April, the National Cherry Blossom Festival
takes place, an event that celebrates the flowering of cherry trees and the
friendship between the American and Japanese peoples, recalling the donation, in
1912, of three thousand cherry trees from Japan to United States. The
Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place in June, which hosts artists from the
country and from other countries around the world. Independence Day is
celebrated on 4 July in the capital with great solemnity: the declaration of
independence is read and military troops parade on the occasion of a large
parade, followed by fireworks. On the occasion of Martin Luther King Jr Day, on
the third Monday of January, the speakers at the Lincoln Memorial
recite King 's famous speech 'I have a dream'.
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