Probably the outstanding memorial in all of Washington DC, the Lincoln Memorial is a ‘must visit’ item for all visitors. Another of DC’s instantly recognisable landmarks, the Lincoln Memorial honours the nation’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The architect Henry Bacon designed the Greek-inspired temple, which was dedicated in 1922.
The Lincoln statue, which tops out at 19 feet (5.8m), was sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts. Above the temple’s 38 columns are the names of the 36 states that were in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death in 1865. Murals sculpted by Jules Guerin adorn the temple’s inner walls. Emancipation is engraved on the south wall and hangs above the inscription of the Gettysburg Address. Unification is on the north wall, above Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. For more information: http://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm
