of Representative and the US Senate, making it one of the worlds most influential and

powerful places. The magnificent building ahead of you is meant to reflect this status,

which many people think it does from its commanding location on top of Capitol Hill.

The history if the US Capitol dates back to late 18th century, when George Washington

signed the Residence act of 1790, which made Washington DC the capitol of the United States.

Pierre Charles L'Enfant was made responsible for creating a city plan for the new capital.

L'Enfant chose to locate the Congress House on the crest of the hill today known as Capitol

Hill, a hill he described as "a pedestal waiting for a monument". Thomas Jefferson insisted

that the building would be called the "Capitol" instead of the "Congress House". This due

to the fact that the word Capitol is a Latin word which actually means "city on a hill".

Jefferson had his will done, which is why the building today is known as the United

States Capitol. The construction of the Capitol began in 1793,

when President George Washington laid the foundation stone. The senate wing stood completed

in 1800, while the House wing was completed eleven years later. By this time, the completed

Capitol was only a small part of today's building. The building was lacking its dome and it was

not flanked by the outer buildings you can see connected to it today. The completed building

didn't last long, as the Capitol was set on fire shortly after its completion during the

War of 1812 against the British. The reparation work however went smoothly which brought the

building back to its former glory. The reparation work was followed by several expansions of

the building in the mid 19th century. These expansions include the massive "wedding cake"-like

dome, which shapes the Capitol and has become the trademark of the building we know today.

The architectural planning was a joint effort of several architects. The initial design

was done by amateur architect William Thornton who designed it in typical neoclassical style.

Thornton was inspired by the Louvre in Paris and the ancient Pantheon. The inspiration

from the latter is obvious when looking at the eastern façade with its temple like entrance.

The main dome was inspired by several European churches, including the great dome of St.

Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and the St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

If you look at the top of the dome, you will see that it is crowned by a large bronze statue.

This state is known as the "Statue of Freedom". The statue depicts a female whose right hand

holds a sheathed sword and in the other a laurel wreath of victory and the shield of

the United States. She stands on an iron globe encircled with one of the national mottoes;

"E pluribus unum" which is Latin for "Out of many - one".

While the outside of the Capitol is magnificent, the same is very much true for its inside.

The inside holds several famous paintings depicting major events in the discovery of

America and the foundation of the United States. The inside also holds the National Statuary

Hall Collection, a collection consisting of statues donated by each state of the union.

Each state has donated two statues picturing notable persons in their history. Together

they form an impressive gathering of some of the most important people in the history

of the states. As of December 2008, the Capitol also has

a visitor center with an underground entrance on the east side of the Capitol. The main

function of the visitor center is to serve as a more orderly entrance for visitors to

the Capitol. The Capitol Visitor Center provides however much more than just an entrance. Inside

you can find a visitors theater, rooms for exhibits and dining and restroom facilities.

You can also find a plaster cast of the Statue of Freedom down in the underground center,

next to the stairs leading up to the Capital itself. The total cost for building the underground,

3-level, 54.000 m2 Capitol Visitor Center was a stunning $621 million.

The Capitol, and the surrounding Capitol Hill, is often host for political demonstrations

and other major events, including presidential inaugurations held every four years. The building

was ranked as number six in a survey conducted in 2007, with the objective of ranking America's

Favorite Architecture. The list was dominated by the many monuments and memorials you can

find here on the National Mall area in Washington DC, an area truly dedicated to the United

States of America and its history. Many say that the Capitol, being the east-most part

of the mall, is the perfect crown jewel of this magnificent area.