DC's Memorial to the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide

Russian aggression against Ukraine is nothing new. In 1932 and 33 million Ukrainians starved to death in a man-made famine called the Holodomor.  Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union’s dictator, wanted to turn his country into an industrialized, Russian-led, communist world power. To do that he collectivizes family farms, meaning farmers no longer worked from themselves but had to give their crop to the government for redistribution throughout the entire country. The led to widespread starvation. Some believe the famine was deliberate to crush any Ukrainian aspiration of independence from the Soviet Union.

At the corner of North Capital Street and Massachusetts Avenue, near the Capitol, those who perished in the Holodomor are remembered. 

 

Ukraine is often called to as the breadbasket of Europe, so it makes sense that wheat is the focal point of the Memorial. At this end the wheat starts off full and plentiful but as you move down the wall it slowly starts to disappear representing how the Ukraine’s abundant harvest is destroyed under Soviet rule.

 

From the Soviet Union starving the Ukrainians in the 1930s to Russia’s unprovoked war of today, the historic parallels are clear. Today the memorial is a focal point for those supporting Ukraine which again faces the horrors of Russian aggression.

Duration
2 hours
Group Size
2 to 6

Above It All - Washington National Cathedral

Washington National Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece. Perched on a hill overlooking the city it is the second largest cathedral in the country and the 6th largest in the world. It is a living work of art filled with stained-glass, hand-carved wood, and wrought iron. While a modern structure (finished in 1990) it is constructed in the old-world way and has no structural steel.

Duration
2 hours 30 minutes
Group Size
1 to 6

Hidden on Capitol Hill

Few people think beyond the Capitol when they think of the Hill. This tour takes you to the heart of a neighborhood with a fascinating history that still speaks to us today. Learn about these famous locations from a former Capitol Hill resident.

Duration
2 hours 30 minutes
Group Size
1 to 6

Embassy Row: Divinity & Diplomats

Most Embassy Row tours don’t venture far beyond Dupont Circle. But ours does. We see it all from top to bottom. This stretch of Massachusetts Avenue used to be called Millionaires Row where Gilded Age robber-barons built grand mansions. Today those mansions house most of Washington’s embassies, along with private clubs and statues of world heroes such as Mandela, Gandhi, and Churchill – and we will be right in the heart of it.