Washington D.C. / Вашингтон округ Колумбия

Did you ever know that Washington D.C. is not only home to American government and a lot of wonderful buildings associated with the political life of the country?

But, Washington D.C. is also the city of a great number of museums, culture centers, art galleries and famous libraries. Should you come to the capital of America for a short visit or a long stay, here is the list of places you may visit and enjoy your free time in:

• The National Gallery of Art is one of the American chief art galleries, with major collections of European and American paintings;
• The National Museum of Natural History houses many of the world's most famous gems;
• The National Air and Space Museum has aeronautical exhibits that include the original craft used by the Wright Brothers and the Mercury capsule in which astronaut John Glenn orbited the Earth;
• The United States Holocaust Museum provides information about the persecution and murder of Jews in Europe during World War II.

If you are a real museum-goer, then Washington D.C. and its people are proud to introduce you to such well-known museums, as: The Smithsonian Institution, The National Museum of African Art, The National Museum of American

History, The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, The Arts and Industries Building and the Freer Gallery of Art, The Dumbarton Oaks Museum, The National Building Museum and many others.

- The Smithsonian Institution is the most famous museum in Washington. Congress chartered the Smithsonian in 1846 with the help of a gift from one Englishman, James Smithson. The Smithsonian is a collection of many different institutions that are world-famous tor their art, historical, and scientific collection

- The National Museum of African Art is the first museum in the United States devoted exclusively to African art;

- The National Museum of American History traces the development of the United States through scientific, technological, and cultural exhibitions;

- The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden contains notable paintings and sculptures by the 19th- and 20th-century European and American artists;

- The Arts and Industries Building and the Freer Gallery of Art house fine collections of American and Asian art;

- The Dumbarton Oaks Museum houses a collection of pre-Columbian and Byzantine art;

- The National Building Museum is dedicated to American achievements in architecture, construction, engineering, and design.

If the exhibitions of the museums inspire you to learn more about various cultures of the world, then you are invited to certain festivals, held in Washington D.C every year. For example, the National Cherry Blossom Festival. It celebrates the blossoming of the Japanese cherry trees in the Tidal Basin. The Hispanic Festival has taken place each summer in Washington D.C since 1970. The Mall hosts an annual Fourth of July fireworks display and the National Folk Festival The city also celebrates the Chinese New Year, Columbus Day, and Saint Patrick's Day with parades.

To crown it all, there is no room for boredom in Washington D.C., the city of numerous museums, art galleries, festivals with parades, and what not.

Welcome to D.C.!

Словарь

to be associated with smb/smth — ассоциироваться с кем-либо или с чем-либо

a long stay — долгое пребывание

a gem (s) — драгоценный камень; жемчужина

aeronautical exhibits — аэронавигационные экспонаты

the persecution and murder — преследование и убийство

to charter smth — даровать (дарить) хартию или привилегию чему-либо; основать что-либо

fine collections — замечательные коллекции

the blossoming — цветение

fireworks display — фейерверк, запуск фейерверка

there is no room for boredom — нет места для скуки