Frankfurt, Kentucky

The State House in Frankfurt, Kentucky sits atop a hill, and the July day we chose to visit was very hot and very humid.  It was quite an effort climbing those steps to reach the cool interior of the capitol. From the outside, the resemblance to the capitol building in Washington D.C. is quite striking, not only with the similar dome structure, but also the way the two side wings spread so far out from the main entrance. Like many capitols, the one in Frankfurt is situated near a river, in this case, the Kentucky River. The Capitol Building is influenced from important places of history and architecture from all over the world, including France, Greece, and Italy. Marble stairways, banisters, and balustrades at either end imitate the staircases of the Grand Opera House in Paris. The capitol rotunda, which is topped by a massive 190' dome is copied from the one over Napoleon's tomb in the Hotel des Invalides in Paris.  On the nearby grounds surrounding the capitol complex is a huge floral clock, that actually keeps real time!