Exploring America through its presidential landmarks

The largest city in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia was the first official capital of the independent United States from 1790 to 1800. It was here in 1776 that the Declaration of Independence was signed, and in 1787, representatives from 13 states convened to determine the structure of the newly formed country.

At 526 Market Street, you can visit the Liberty Bell, a symbol of American independence and unity. Independence Hall, where the founding fathers deliberated on the future of the independent nation and signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The museum dedicated to the American Constitution and Benjamin Franklin is also worth visiting.

A city built from scratch to serve as the capital of the newly established American state. By the decree of the first president of the USA, George Washington, in 1791, the independent District of Columbia was delineated from the states of Maryland and Virginia so that the capital would be on neutral ground, not within any existing state.

Washington was designed by the French architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant. Today, it is home to the White House, the residence of the US presidents, the Capitol, the seat of the American Congress, the Library of Congress, the oldest library in the USA, numerous museums, the Pentagon, and the National Archives.

The presidential sculpture in the Black Hills of South Dakota is among the largest in the world. Gazing from above are the granite-carved faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Each head is approximately 18 metres high.

Historian Doane Robinson conceived the concept for the monumental images of US presidents as a key attraction in this part of the USA, and sculptor Gutzon Borglum oversaw its creation. Hundreds of people worked on its completion from 1927 to 1941. Mount Rushmore is visited by 3 million people annually.

The sculpture has long been the subject of protests due to its location on land previously inhabited by Native American tribes.

New York was one of the largest and most significant cities in European-colonised North America. Before the Constitution of the independent United States was enacted, it served as the country's capital.

A small square in Lower Manhattan, right next to the Charging Bull statue, commemorates those times—Bowling Green. It is located at the site of a former market where Dutch settlers traded with native inhabitants and among themselves. Here, the infamous purchase of the island for a handful of beads allegedly took place, and here, sports and recreation were enjoyed (hence the square's name).

After the English took over New Amsterdam, a fence adorned with small royal crowns was erected around Bowling Green. On 9 July 1776, the crowns were sawn off by a crowd celebrating the formal reading of the Declaration of Independence. The same crowd destroyed the statue of King George III that stood in the square. The dismembered figure disappeared, but the 18th-century fence (without crowns) remains in place.

No list of presidential tourist attractions would be complete without mentioning the birthplaces of the most famous American presidents. Their birthplaces or later residences are scattered across the country. Some presidents have dedicated tourist centres, like Jimmy Carter in Georgia, Abraham Lincoln in Illinois, or Harry Truman in Missouri.

Theodore Roosevelt even had a national park named after him in North Dakota. Places associated with the lives of American presidents offer insight into the conditions in which these leaders, coming from various parts of the country and social backgrounds, grew up or lived in later years. It’s a valuable lesson in the famed American diversity and tolerance.