1. The Library of Congress is the oldest national establishment for culture in the USA, and it is the most extensive library collection worldwide. The majestic Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress Washington DC, with its Italian Renaissance design full of sculptures, mosaics, paintings and murals, is one of the US's most distinguished accomplishments in architecture. Today's US Library of Congress is an unequalled world resource. Its collection of over 130 million items includes more than 29 million cataloged books and print materials in 460 languages; more than 58 million manuscripts; the most extensive collection of hard-to-find books in North America; and the biggest assembly in the world of audio recordings, films, music scores, maps and legal documents.
2. The Library of Congress has three main buildings in Washington DC. The Thomas Jefferson structure is the most spectacular.
13. The spectacular Great Hall has stained glass ceilings that soars 75 feet above its marble floor. The stairways and columns are also made of marble. In addition there are many beautiful paintings and mosaics.
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18. Each column has double marble round posts with beautiful capitals
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21. The main reading room is open to anyone over 18 years old, however you must obtain a special entrance card to enter.
22. The main reading room is 4 stories tall and ends with a nice cupola
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25. The side rooms have interesting exhibits and each one has nice ceilings and a center cupola.
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29. Many walls are beautifully decorated with paintings and sculptures
31. I hope you enjoyed walking with me in the Library of Congress in Washington DC Now go to your library and enjoy reading a good book. Photographs and presentation by Dan Calistrat [email_address] September 2007 If you are in the area, pay it a visit. It is open every day and is free .