Best places to visit in Washington D.C: Museums, monuments and a fish market

The monument dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd and longest-serving US president, consists of four rooms, each representing one of his four terms in office. — Photos: VERENA WOLFF/dpa

What with the prominent position of the United States in world affairs, people around the globe may be excused for thinking they already “know” the US capital, Washington D.C. It’s always in the focus of world events, and images of the White House, the huge Capitol and the Pentagon seen almost daily in TV newscasts, leave the impression that it’s “only” stage for politics.

This impression is misleading. Visitors to Washington D.C. – the “District of Columbia” designed by Pierre L’Enfant on what had been swampland along the Potomac River and named after the first US president, George Washington – will soon discover that the city has much more to offer.