The German-American Friendship Garden on the

National Mall The National Mall is a Landscape architecture, landscaped park near the Downtown, Washington, D.C., downtown area of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States. It contains and borders a number of museums of the Smithsonian Institut ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

stands as a symbol of the positive and cooperative relations between the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

and the

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. Situated within the

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grounds on the historic axis between the Jefferson Pier and the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

(see White House meridian), the garden borders Constitution Avenue Northwest between 15th and 17th Streets Northwest, where an estimated seven million visitors pass each year. The garden features plants native to both

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and the United States and provides seating and cooling fountains.

History

Commissioned to commemorate the 300th anniversary of German immigration to America, the garden was dedicated on November 15, 1988. Sign at the German-American Friendship Garden

Sign at the German-American Friendship Garden

As noted by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, who created the Presidential Commission to complete work on the project after a 1982 visit to Washington by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl,

... I'm proud to announce a product of that commission: the dedication of a garden here in Washington as a symbol of the friendship between our two countries. In a few months, I'll be leaving the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
, but the garden, and all it represents, will remain, to be nurtured and sustained by the friendship between Germans and Americans ...

The Friendship Garden restoration was launched in 2013 under a joint memorandum signed by the German Embassy, the National Park Service, and the Association of German-American Societies of Greater Washington D.C. The memorandum activated a trust fund whose income is to be used for the upkeep of the Garden. With that, work could begin on the Garden. Perennial beds and other native plants and flowers were planted and revitalized during the fall last year. A new irrigation system was installed. Finally, the central square panel of the Friendship Garden was restored and partly redesigned. The entire project followed the original design of the late German-born landscape artist Wolfgang Oehme, and was carried out under the guidance of the landscaping company Oehme van Sweden.

References

External links

The German-American Friendship Garden: A Comprehensive HistoryAssociation of German-American Societies of Greater Washington, DCGerman Embassy Washington Flickr photo setGerman-American Heritage Foundation of the USA
{{coord, 38.89187, -77.036550, format=dms, scale:8000, display=title German-American culture German-American history Germany–United States relations German-American culture in Washington, D.C. 1988 establishments in Washington, D.C. Gardens in Washington, D.C. National Mall

History

See also

References

External links