Reliving history in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is a city built on contradictions. Grand ideals etched in stone with a history that’s as bloody as it is idealized. The capital of the United States is a place where the marble glows white and the ghosts never shut up.

Capitol Rotunda.

Everywhere I walk, there are imposing buildings that screams out their history and significance to the world. The Capitol is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. While every corner holds enough details and anecdotes to fill an entire book by Dan Brown (and it almost did in The Lost Symbol), what interests me the most was the Rotunda. Beneath the famous dome is a circular room built in 1824, linking the Senate with the House of Representatives.

The inside of the dome features an impressive concave painting by Brumidi with George Washington himself in a prominent position. While the original intention of hole in the center leading to the crypt was later abandoned, a lot of well-known persons from Lincoln to JFK have lain in state here.

The White House, north lawn.

The White House is probably the most recognized residence in the world. While most people have seen it being blown up by aliens in Independence Day, it is not nearly as well-known that the British army actually burned it to the ground in 1814, only 14 years after it was completed.

Jefferson building in the Library of Congress.

I continue to the Library of Congress. Apart from the beautiful architecture and the Main Reading Room, there are many treasures to be seen, such as the Jefferson library holding the remains of his personal book collection that were saved from being burned by the British.

The National Archives is an impressive building in itself, but the treasures within are even far more impressive. As I enter the heavily guarded Rotunda in the center, some of the most famous documents in the world lay before me. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. I feel the connection to history as I view the old parchments from a mere 20 centimeters distance, looking at the handwritten signatures by the founders.

For movie buffs such as myself, this was where the Declaration of Independence was stolen by Nicholas Cage in the silly movie National Treasure.

Evening view from Lincoln Memorial.

I end the evening at Lincoln Memorial, the magnificent western ending of The Mall where the imposing statue of Lincoln gazes upon the awed visitors.

Lincoln Memorial.

I sit on the stairs, next to the stone engraved with the name of Martin Luther King. This was the place where he delivered his famous speech “I have a dream” in 1963. History isn’t some dusty textbook, it’s alive, and it’s staring me in the face.