Attraction 10 / 35
Quick Info
Subway
Smithsonian - north access (blue, orange)
Links
-
nps.gov
Rating
Hotels
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The National Mall or 'The Mall'
is a long strip of green surrounded by museums and monuments. It stretches for over 2 miles/3 km from
the Lincoln Memorial
on the western border to the US Capitol
on the east.

National Mall
Pierre l'Enfant's vision
The Mall was originally envisioned
by French engineer and city planner Pierre Charles l'Enfant
as a grand 1,5 mile long boulevard bordered by Parisian
style houses. The plan was never realized as such and
in the 19th century the open space was a muddy area
used for markets and the exhibition of exotic animals.
Until the opening of the Union
Station, it also contained a railway station and
tracks.
1902 Plan
In 1902 a plan by the McMillan Commission
for 'improvement of the park system in the District
of Columbia' designated the mall as a green area surrounded
solely by museums and scientific buildings. The green
strip was
walled
on either side by Elms, trees already used on the grounds
around the Capitol. Park-like roads were created on
either side of the green strip.

View towards US Capitol
The creation of the National Mall resulted
in a central axis of museums, monuments and memorials.
Mall Attractions
Below an overview of the most important
attractions found along the Mall, from east to west:
- US Capitol |
Near the Tidal Basin:
| - Jefferson
Memorial - Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial |
616
- Next: Iwo Jima Memorial



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