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Take a tour of Camp David, where presidents host world leaders and escape Washingtonhttps://www.businessinsider.in/take-a-tour-of-camp-david-where-presidents-host-world-leaders-and-escape-washington/the-original-name-of-camp-david-was-shangri-la-the-name-of-a-fictional-himalayan-paradise-in-the-1933-novel-lost-horizon-/slidelist/62892836.cms2018-02-13T02:13:13+05:30

Take a tour of Camp David, where presidents host world leaders and escape Washington

Feb 13, 2018, 02:13 IST

The original name of Camp David was Shangri-La, the name of a fictional Himalayan paradise in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon."

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office, he renamed the property "Camp David," after his father and grandson who had the same name.

By the end of the Eisenhower administration, Camp David looked like this. The president's cabin — Aspen Lodge — was originally called the Bear's Den by FDR.

From the beginning, Camp David gave presidents a chance to enjoy the countryside. Here, FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill fish in the woods around "Shangri La." The two men reportedly planned the D-Day invasion from a porch on one of the cabins.

Since Camp David is in the Catoctin Mountain Park, it has a number of trails around it that presidents and their families can enjoy.

Horseback riding is also a common activity for the trails, as seen here with President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush.

Originally, the pool at Camp David was far from Aspen Lodge. Here is a video of the Johnson family enjoying the pool.

President Richard Nixon added a pool behind the Aspen Lodge in the 1970s. President Barack Obama apparently still enjoyed it decades later.

Obama White House photographer Pete Souza snapped a number of great behind-the-scenes shots of life at Camp David, which also has tennis and basketball courts.

As well as a pool table.

Camp David can provide a relaxing setting for presidents to do their work, away from the chaos of Washington.

Many presidents have spent Christmas at Camp David.

It's pretty nice in winter too.

President Carter turned Camp David into a place where diplomacy was conducted, like the landmark Camp David Accords in 1978.

Like Carter, President Bill Clinton used Camp David as a location for talks between Israel and Palestine.

Obama also used Camp David as a place for diplomatic events.

In 2012, he hosted the leaders of the G8 nations at Camp David.

It's not all work, though. European leaders took a break during the 2012 G8 to watch the overtime shootout of the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Champions League final.

President Donald Trump visited Camp David five times in his first year in office, calling it "a very special place" in one tweet.

Most recently, Trump brought senior Republicans to Camp David for a leadership retreat.

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