Lincoln Memorial

With authoritative composure, the 19 ft (5.8 m) tall statue of Abraham Lincoln sits on a chair in the east corner of the square with his gaze fixed on the Washington Monument. This is where America pays tribute to the man who led the nation through the Civil War and ended slavery.

Around the statue of the president is a Greek Doric temple with 36 columns, representing the 36 states of the Union at the time of his death. The names of the 48 states that existed when the work was completed in 1922 are engraved into the gabled brick pillars.

The interior of the memorial is divided into three rooms. On either side of the Lincoln statue are the north and side rooms with verses from two of the president's most famous speeches, the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address. Above all, admire the frescoes depicting the values Lincoln held dear throughout his life: liberation, freedom, immortality, justice, law, unity, brotherhood, and humanity virtue.

The Lincoln Memorial is open 24 hours a day. Don't forget to bring your camera and tripod as the light show on the marble is truly a photographer's dream, especially at night. Managers are on duty to answer visitors' inquiries from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily and conduct interpretive tours of the site every hour.