The Washington Monument has reopened after three years of repairs

Washington - The reconstructed Washington Monument reopened to visitors today in the U.S. capital after nearly three years of repairs. The monument was damaged by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in August 2011. Authorities initially believed that repairs would only take a few weeks.
    On the 169-meter-tall structure, which is the tallest stone monument of its kind in the world, more than 150 cracks up to three centimeters wide were created during the tremors. The greatest damage occurred at its top. The repairs cost $15 million (almost 300 million CZK), half of which was paid by Congress and half by philanthropist David Rubenstein.
    There is enormous interest in visiting the monument - evidenced by the long lines and the fact that tickets were sold out in advance online for visits through mid-June.
    Construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 and was completed in 1884. At the base, the walls are made of white marble, 4.5 meters thick, tapering to just 45 centimeters at the top.
    The monument was damaged during the August earthquake that struck the northeastern United States. The tremors caused minor damage; in Washington, besides the monument, the cathedral was also damaged, losing three smaller stone spires. Authorities also shut down two reactors at a nuclear power plant in Virginia due to the earthquake and had to check their safety. However, no one was injured.