War history and architecture enthusiasts should never miss the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is United States? biggest memorial created with a single purpose of paying tribute to every department of military service cadets and veterans. It is included in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial was established by the Grand Army of the Republic back in the 1890s and was intended for the Allegheny County and Pittsburgh to uplift the declining ranks of the veterans who hail from the city and fought in the American Civil War. Currently, the monument stands for all military service branches and pays homage to citizen as well as career soldiers who served and fought for the country since the inception of the forces.

It was architect Henry Hombostel who created the blueprint of the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial in 1907. The memorial was officially dedicated in 1910. While its official address is registered on Fifth Avenue, the signage at its main entryway reads ?Matthew Ridgway Blvd. in honor of the World War II and Korean War hero who called Pittsburgh home.? It is just a stone?s throw away from the University of Pittsburgh where the Cathedral of Learning is found, another famous Pittsburgh landmark. Aside from the enormous memorial fashioned in Beaux-Arts style, the historic landmark also features a sprawling, beautifully-landscaped lawn ornamented with huge cannons and other war devices.

Unique displays and exhibits which cannot be seen anywhere else can be found within the Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum. These exhibits cover the events which took during the Civil War and extending up to current military conflicts and battles. The memorial also features what is called the ?Hall of Valor? which was created in 1963. The ?Hall of Valor? commemorates military veterans who hail from the county and went beyond the call of duty. Currently, the ?Hall of Valor? more than six hundred honorees which include Distinguished Flying Cross, Silver Star, Air Force Cross, Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Kearny Cross and Medal of Honor recipients.

The Soldiers and Sailors National Military Museum and Memorial also boasts of an auditorium which can accommodate up to 2,500. There are also functional meeting rooms plus a banquet hall. For visitors who are planning to bring their own car, parking won?t be a problem since there is sufficient parking space underneath the memorial?s vast front lawn operated under the University of Pittsburgh.