Lincoln Memorial

The Greek temple at the western end of the Mall, completed in 1922, holds Daniel Chester French's 5.6 m seated marble statue of Abraham Lincoln, with the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural carved on the side walls. Almost eight million people visit each year, making it one of the most recognisable landmarks in the country. From the steps, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the I Have a Dream speech to 250,000 people in August 1963; the spot is marked in the stone. Because Lincoln freed the slaves and King spoke here, the memorial has become a symbol of civil rights as much as of the 16th president.

In front lies the 618 m Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, only 76 cm deep, famous from the Forrest Gump crowd scene. Filming inside the memorial is prohibited even for professional crews, so every Hollywood interior shot is a set or an effect. The building appears on the back of the five dollar bill.

Practical: Open 24 hours, free, staffed by rangers until late evening. The view back east across the Reflecting Pool to the Washington Monument and the Capitol is the defining Washington panorama, best at sunrise or after dark when the memorials are lit.