Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is a town situated on the territory of Wisconsin. The population of Madison, which is the capital of Wisconsin is about 233 000 people.
The town was founded in 1836 when former federal judge James Duane Doty bought four kilometers of land among the marshes between Lake Mendota and Lake Mono.
His goal was to build in this place the foundations of a city, right in the middle of the four lakes region. A year earlier, was created the Wisconsin Territory and in its borders Madison city was founded.
Doty gave the city the name of James Madison, which is the fourth U.S. president. Doty named streets in the city by the names of the thirty-nine founders that signed the Constitution of the United States.
Although Madison existed only on paper as a city, it was chosen as the capital of Wisconsin. This is mostly due to the fact that it is located halfway between the newly established city of Milwaukee and the strategic position of Prairie du Chien and furthermore the mining regions of southwest and oldest city in Wisconsin - Green Bay.
The cornerstone of the capital of Wisconsin was laid in 1837. In 1846 Madison has a population of six hundred twenty-six men. In 1848 the territory of Wisconsin was recognized as a state, Madison remained its capital.
Madison received official status of city in 1856 when its population amounted to nearly seven thousand.
Today the city covers an area of 136 square kilometers. The most important building in the city is the Wisconsin State Capitol.
This building is a symbol of American nationhood and is one of the most visited buildings in the city. The building, built on the model of the building of the Capitol building, the U.S. was completed in 1912. The dome of the building, surrounded on both sides of its wings, is the largest dome by volume worldwide.
Under the dome in a horizontal position are located exquisite frescoes. To examine the frescoes was built a special platform with a height of twenty-seven meters. In the city of Madison is located The Chazen Museum of Arts. The task of the museum is to collect and put up an exhibition of art works that relate to completely different styles and trends. The territory for concerts regularly holds concerts of chamber music.
In the city of Madison is located the Wisconsin Historical Museum, near the Capitol building. The museum presents a variety of interesting photographs, artifacts, audio and multimedia programs that are devoted to the history of the state and city. In addition to the main exposures, there are collections devoted to milk and hamburgers.
For animal lovers the doors of the Henry Vilas Zoo have opened. The territory of the zoo has different kinds of interesting animals living there and entertainment programs for children. The entrance to the zoo is free.
Plant lovers can look at Olbrich Botanical Garden, which is located on the coast. The Botanical Garden began operations in 1916 and since then has not closed its doors. Regardless of time of year there is always a flowering plant. Olbrich Botanical Gardens is known for its incredible collection of roses.
