The observation deck at the crown of the Statue of Liberty in New York opens today.
The Statue of Liberty, full name "Liberty Enlightening the World" is one of the most famous sculptures in the USA and in the world, often called the “symbol of New York and the USA”, “symbol of freedom and democracy”, “Lady Liberty”.
The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island, approximately 3 km southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan, one of the boroughs of New York. Until 1956, the island was called "Bedloe's Island".
The Statue of Liberty is a gift from the French people to the United States in honor of the centenary of American independence and as a sign of friendship between the two states.
The idea for this symbol came from the French scientist, lawyer and abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye back in the late 1860s. He proceeded from the fact that America and France were connected by old friendly ties. France provided moral and material support to the American struggle for independence - the French General Lafayette even became a national hero of the United States. The statue was intended as a gift for the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. With this gift, the French wanted to express their admiration for the great republic on the other side of the Atlantic. The French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi was commissioned to create the statue. His Statue of Liberty was inspired by Delacroix's famous painting "Liberty Leading the People to the Barricades." The internal supporting structure of the tower was made by Gustave Eiffel, the future creator Eiffel Tower.
Work on the statue was completed in France in July 1884. The statue was constructed from thin sheets of copper hammered into wooden molds. The formed sheets were then installed on a steel frame.
In June 1885, the statue was delivered to New York Harbor aboard the French frigate Isere. "Lady Liberty" was transported from France to the United States in disassembled form - it was divided into 350 parts, packed in 214 boxes. Assembling the statue on the pedestal took four months.
On September 11, 2001, as a result of the terrorist attack on the World Shopping mall The Statue of Liberty and the island were closed to the public.
The interior of the statue remains closed to the public, but the iron frame created by Gustave Eiffel can be seen through the glass separator.
In May 2009, it was announced that the Crown Observation Deck of the Statue of Liberty would reopen to tourists on July 4, 2009.
At the very beginning, the statue was not green, it turned green due to atmospheric conditions, the main one being acid rain.
The torch we see today is not the historical torch from 1886. It was replaced during the 1984 - 1986 renovation as its restoration was considered inappropriate. The original torch was modified quite extensively in 1916. Today this torch is displayed in a museum located inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
In 1883, American poet Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus", dedicated to the Statue of Liberty. 20 years later, in 1903, it was engraved on a bronze plate and attached to the outside of the pedestal. The last lines of the sonnet in the Russian translation sound like this: “...Give me your tired people, All those who long to breathe freely, abandoned in need, From the close shores of the persecuted, the poor and the orphans, So send them, homeless and exhausted, to me. I raise my torch is at the Golden Gate!"
The following coins were minted with the image of the Statue of Liberty: November 11, 1922 - 15 cent coin; June 24, 1954 - 3 cent coin; April 9, 1954 - 8 cent coin and June 11, 1961 - 11 cent coin.
The New York 25-cent coin, minted in 2001, features the Statue of Liberty with the words “Gateway to Freedom.”
The most recognizable symbol of New York and the United States throughout the world is the monumental Statue of Liberty. The full name of the sculpture is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”
The statue rises in New York Harbor, on Liberty Island, located 3 km from south coast always lively Manhattan. In honor of the statue former island People began to call it Bedloe at the beginning of the 19th century; it was officially renamed in 1956.
The sculptural image of the Goddess of Freedom is deeply symbolic. The inscription on the tablet, which Liberty holds in her left hand: “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” - “July 4, 1776” - the official date of the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence. The goddess stands with one foot on broken shackles. The Crown of Liberty has seven rays - this number echoes the number of continents and seas (seven each - according to Western geographical tradition).
Copy monuments of Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty can now be found in different countries peace. The most famous of them are in Paris, Tokyo and Las Vegas.
Weight and height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA
According to various sources, the weight of copper in the statue is from 27.22 to 31 tons, the weight of the steel structure is 113.4-125 tons. The total weight of the Statue of Liberty exceeds 200 tons.
The height of the Statue of Liberty in New York is 93 meters, it includes a concrete and steel pedestal and a 46-meter female figure with a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left.
There is an elevator inside the pedestal. To climb to the Crown of Liberty from the level of her feet, you need to overcome 377 steps.
Contrary to popular belief, the Statue of Liberty in the United States is not among the ten tallest monuments in the world in terms of its height. However, taking into account the pedestal, it ranks 6-8 in the list of largest monuments (depending on the classification), and is the most tall statue in USA.
History of the Statue of Liberty
France is the country that donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States on the centenary of the American Revolution.
The copper neoclassical sculpture was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. The supporting structure was carefully thought out by Gustave Eiffel and his assistant engineer Maurice Koechlin. According to the agreement, the monument was erected by the American side according to the design of R. M. Hunt.
The location for the monument in New York Harbor was approved by Congress in 1877, taking into account the wishes of the sculptor Bartholdi, who chose an island past which all ships arriving in New York sailed.
For a number of reasons, the statue was installed later than the anniversary date. Problems with financing were relevant for both countries. To attract investors, the right hand with the torch was completed first and was exhibited at the 1876 World's Fair in Philadelphia and then exhibited in New York's Madison Square.
The French part of the monument - the figure of Liberty - was completed in 1884. The frigate Ysere delivered the statue to New York on June 17, 1885. 350 components of the future design were packed in 214 boxes. The assembly took approximately 4 months.
The opening of the Statue of Liberty on October 28 was accompanied by a parade on the streets of New York. The ceremony on the island was attended by senior politicians, chaired by US President Stephen Grover Cleveland. The builders laid the first stone of the pedestal on August 5, 1885. To strengthen the structure, steel lintels and upward anchor beams were built into the masonry (similar to the frame of the Eiffel Tower) for mounting the statue.
The green patina characteristic of copper has been covering the statue since approximately 1900; natural oxidation protects the metal from atmospheric influences.
Since 1933, the statue has been under the control of the Service national parks USA (NPS).
During the Second World War, the symbolic landmark remained open to tourists, but was not illuminated at night. On the day of the successful Normandy operation, June 6, 1944, the lights of the lighthouse statue conveyed the news of victory (the letter V in Morse code).
In 1946, the inside of the statue was covered within the reach of visitors with a special plastic from which the inscriptions can be easily washed off.
The original torch of the Statue of Liberty now resides in the museum inside the pedestal. As is known, it was severely damaged as a result of an explosion on the Black Tom Peninsula in 1916, and was later modernized, but still required restoration, since water began to penetrate through it into the monument. As part of a large-scale restoration in 1984, the torch was replaced with an exact historical copy: it reflects the sun's rays during the day and is illuminated by spotlights at night.
To the list of objects World Heritage UNESCO listed the American Statue of Liberty in 1984 as "a masterpiece of the human spirit, a powerful symbol of peace, human rights, the abolition of slavery, world democracy and opportunity."
In a restored form, the statue became available to visitors in 1886. A second temporary closure occurred shortly after the September 11 attacks until the end of 2001, but the pedestal did not become accessible until August 2004. Later, the monument was closed to visitors twice: for the period of installation of new elevators (for a year from October 2011), due to the suspension of government work (October 1-13, 2013).
How to get there
Login national park Liberty Island is free, but access to it is only possible by ferry, for which you have to pay a fixed fee. The route also covers Ellis Island, where the Immigration Museum is now located. The island's piers are closed to private vessels.
In this direction, special cruise ferries (Statue Cruises ferries) operate daily (except December 25), departing from two piers: from Manhattan's Battery Park and from Liberty State Park in Jersey City (New Jersey). The first ferry to the island leaves at 9:30, the last at 15:30.
Video "Statue of Liberty"
Since 1984, the Statue of Liberty has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The sculpture is a gift from France for the 1876 World's Fair and the centennial of American Independence. The statue holds a torch in its right hand and a tablet in its left. The inscription on the tablet reads “English. JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (written in Roman numerals for the date "July 4, 1776"), this date is the day the United States Declaration of Independence was adopted. “Freedom” stands with one foot on broken shackles.
Visitors walk 356 steps to the crown of the Statue of Liberty or 192 steps to the top of the pedestal. There are 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize earthly precious stones and heavenly rays that illuminate the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (the Western geographical tradition counts exactly seven continents).
The total weight of copper used to cast the statue is 31 tons, and the total weight of its steel structure is 125 tons. The total weight of the concrete base is 27,000 tons. The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.
The height from the ground to the tip of the torch is 93 meters, including the base and pedestal. The height of the statue itself, from the top of the pedestal to the torch, is 46 meters.
The statue was constructed from thin sheets of copper hammered into wooden molds. The formed sheets were then installed on a steel frame.
The statue is usually open to visitors, usually arriving by ferry. The crown, accessible by stairs, offers expansive views of New York Harbor. The museum, located in the pedestal, houses an exhibition on the history of the statue. The museum can be reached by elevator.
The territory of Liberty Island was originally part of the State of New Jersey, subsequently administered by New York, and is currently administered by the Federal Government. Until 1956, the island was called Bedloe's Island. Bedloe's Island), although it was also called the “Island of Freedom” since the beginning of the 20th century.
Statue of Liberty in numbers
Inside the statue's crown
View of the statue from afar
Making a statue
The idea of creating the monument is attributed to Edouard René Lefebvre de Laboulaye, a prominent French thinker, writer and politician, president of the French anti-slavery society. According to the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, it was expressed in a conversation with him in mid-1865 under the impression of the victory of anti-slavery forces in the American Civil War. Although this was not a specific proposal, the idea inspired the sculptor.
The repressive political situation during the reign of Napoleon III in France did not allow the implementation of the idea. In the late 1860s, Bartholdi managed for a time to interest the ruler of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, in the construction of a huge statue resembling the Colossus of Rhodes. The statue was originally planned to be installed in Port Said under the name The Light Of Asia, but ultimately the Egyptian government decided that transporting the structure from France and installing it was too costly for the Egyptian economy.
It was intended as a gift for the centenary of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. By mutual agreement, America was to build the pedestal, and France was to create the statue and install it in the United States. However, there was a shortage of money on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, charitable donations, along with various entertainment events and a lottery, raised 2.25 million francs. In the United States, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, auctions and boxing matches were held to raise funds.
Bartholdi was commissioned to create the statue. According to one version, Bartholdi even had a French model: the beautiful, recently widowed Isabella Boyer, wife of Isaac Singer, creator and entrepreneur in the field of sewing machines.
Meanwhile, in France, Bartholdi needed the help of an engineer to solve the design issues associated with the construction of such a giant copper sculpture. Gustave Eiffel (the future creator of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design a massive steel support and intermediate support frame that would allow the copper shell of the statue to move freely while maintaining an upright position. Eiffel handed over the detailed developments to his assistant, the experienced structural engineer Maurice Koechlin. Copper for the statue was purchased from existing stocks at the company's warehouses Société des métaux entrepreneur Eugene Secretan. Its origins have not been documented, but research in 1985 showed that it was mainly mined in Norway on the island of Karmøy. The legend about the supply of copper from the Russian Empire (Ufa and Nizhny Tagil) was verified by enthusiasts, but did not find documentary evidence. It is also noteworthy that the concrete base under the statue is made of German cement. The Dickerhoff firm won a tender to supply cement for the construction of the foundation of the Statue of Liberty in New York, which was to become the world's largest concrete structure at that time.
Before completion design work Bartholdi organized in the workshop Gaget, Gauthier & Co the beginning of work on making the right hand of the statue holding a torch.
In May 1876, Bartholdi participated as part of the French delegation to the World's Fair in Philadelphia and organized the display of numerous paintings of the statue at celebrations in New York dedicated to this exhibition. Due to a delay in registration, the hand of the statue was not included in the catalogs of exhibits at the exhibition, however, it was shown to visitors and made a strong impression. Visitors had access to the torch balcony, from where they could admire the panoramic view of the fairgrounds. In the reports it was called “Colossal Hand” and “Bartholdi’s Electric Light”. After the exhibition ended, the hand with the torch was transported from Philadelphia to New York and was installed in Madison Square, where it stood for several years until its temporary return to France to join the rest of the statue.
The location for the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, approved by an Act of Congress in 1877, was chosen by General William Sherman, taking into account the wishes of Bartholdi himself, on Bedloe's Island, where a star-shaped fort had stood since the beginning of the 19th century.
Fundraising for the pedestal proceeded slowly, and Joseph Pulitzer (of Pulitzer Prize fame) issued an appeal in his World newspaper to support fundraising for the project.
By August 1885, funding problems for the pedestal, designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt, had been resolved and the first stone was laid on August 5. Construction was completed on April 22, 1886. Built into the massive masonry of the pedestal are two square lintels made of steel beams; they are connected by steel anchor beams that extend upward to become part of the Eiffel frame of the statue itself. Thus, the statue and the pedestal are one.
The statue was completed by the French in July 1884 and delivered to New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, aboard the French frigate Isere. For transportation, the statue was disassembled into 350 parts and packed into 214 boxes. (Her right hand with a torch, completed earlier, had already been exhibited at the World's Fair in Philadelphia, and then in Madison Square in New York.) The statue was assembled on its new base in four months. The inauguration of the Statue of Liberty, with a speech by US President Grover Cleveland, took place on October 28, 1886, in the presence of thousands of spectators. As a French gift for the centenary of the American Revolution, it was ten years late.
The national monument, the Statue of Liberty, officially celebrated its centennial on October 28, 1986.
Statue as a cultural monument
The statue was placed on a granite pedestal inside Fort Wood, built for the War of 1812, whose walls are laid out in the shape of a star. The US Lighthouse Service was responsible for maintaining the statue until 1901. After 1901, this mission was entrusted to the War Department. By presidential proclamation of October 15, 1924, Fort Wood (and the statue on its grounds) was declared a national monument, the boundaries of which coincided with the boundaries of the fort.
On October 28, 1936, at the 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the statue, US President Franklin Roosevelt said: “Freedom and peace are living things. For them to continue to exist, each generation must protect them and put new life into them.”
Liberty Island
In 1933, maintenance of the national monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, the area of the national monument was enlarged to cover all of Bedlow Island, which was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Memorial. In May 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to lead a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. The restoration raised $87 million through a partnership between the National Park Service and the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Corporation, which became the most successful public-private collaboration in American history. In 1984, at the beginning of work on its restoration, the Statue of Liberty was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. On July 5, the restored Statue of Liberty was reopened to visitors during Liberty Weekend, celebrating her centennial.
Statue and security
The staircase to the torch was closed for safety reasons in 1916. In 1986, the statue was restored, and its damaged and corroded torch was moved to the main entrance and replaced with a new one, plated in 24-karat gold.
The statue, including the pedestal and base, was closed on October 29, 2011, the day after the statue's 125th anniversary, to allow for the installation of new elevators and stairs. Although the Statue of Liberty has been closed to the public, Liberty Island remains open to the public. Exactly one year after it was closed for repairs and the installation of a new complex escalator, on October 28, 2012, full access to the statue was opened up to the crown.
Images of the statue are widely used in the symbolism of regional organizations and institutions in the United States. In New York State, her outline was on license plates. Vehicle between 1986 and 2000. The New York Liberty, a professional women's basketball team in the Women's National Basketball Association's Eastern Conference, uses the Statue's name in its name and its image in its logo, which associates the statue's flame with basketball. Liberty's Head has been featured on the alternate uniforms of the NHL's New York Rangers since 1997. The NCAA used a symbolic image of a statue for the 1996 Men's Basketball Finals logo. The emblem of the US Libertarian Party uses a stylized image of the torch of Liberty.
Reproductions
Hundreds of reproductions are exhibited in various parts of the world. A copy, one-fourth the size of the original, given to the city of Paris by the American Society, is placed facing west, towards the main statue, on the Swan Island of the Seine. The nine-meter replica, which for many years adorned the top of the Liberty Warehouse building on 64th Street in Manhattan, is now on display on the grounds of the Brooklyn Museum. The American Scouts, during the celebration of its fortieth anniversary in 1949-1952, donated about two hundred copies of pressed copper, 2.5 m high, to various American states and municipalities.
see also
- Statue of Liberty in Moscow (1918-1941).
Other Tallest Sculptures
Notes
- Statue of Liberty (in NYC). Lopatin V.V., Nechaeva I.V., Cheltsova L.K. Uppercase or lowercase? Orthographic dictionary. - M.: Eksmo, 2009. - P. 423. - 512 p.
- USIA. Portrait of the USA: The Statue of Liberty (inaccessible link - story) . Retrieved May 29, 2006. Archived June 30, 2004.
- Liberty Island (island, New York, United States) (English). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- , pp. 7–9.
Jeroen van Luin / flickr.com Alan Strakey / flickr.com Liberty Island, New York, USA (Delta Whiskey / flickr.com) Statue of Liberty, New York, USA (Mobilus In Mobili / flickr.com) Andy Atzert / flickr .com Anthony Quintano / flickr.com Liberty Island, New York (Phil Dolby / flickr.com) Anthony Quintano / flickr.com Chris Tse / flickr.com sylvain.collet / flickr.com Plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty with the date of adoption Declaration of Independence (Pete Bellis / flickr.com) ali sinan köksal / flickr.com Jon Dawson / flickr.com Tom Thai / flickr.com Wilhelm Joys Andersen / flickr.com David Ohmer / flickr.com Justin / flickr.com Torch of the Statue of Liberty (Mike Clarke / flickr.com) Top view of the Statue of Liberty (StatueLibrtyNPS / flickr.com)
The Statue of Liberty is the main symbol of the American people, the idea of freedom. In addition, this is another symbol of the New York metropolis.
The majestic structure in America is located on Liberty Island. Approximately 3 thousand meters in a southwesterly direction from the south of Manhattan Island in New York. Until 56 of the last century, the island in the USA, which is now decorated with the Statue of Liberty, was called Bedlow. Although at the beginning of the century it was already nicknamed “Freedom Island”.
In the right hand of the statue, which is 12.8 meters long, there is a burning torch. On the left is a sign, the length of which is 4.14 meters. The date of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain is written on it.
Broken shackles can be seen under the statue’s feet, which in turn symbolizes liberation. On the head, the distance from the chin to the back of the head is 5.26 meters. The length of the nose is 1.37 meters.
7 Prong Crown of the Statue of Liberty, New York (sylvain.collet / flickr.com)
The statue is crowned with a crown of 7 teeth. This is a symbol of seven seas and at the same time seven continents. According to geography globe only seven continents: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica. Seven seas mean the same number of parts of the World Ocean. There are also windows in the crown that sparkle like diamonds in the sun and decorate it.
Another fact is that visitors usually walk 192 steps to get to the podium. And in order to climb to the very top, you need to overcome 356 steps. The size of the statue is quite impressive. The total height of the structure is 93 meters. And the height of the statue itself is 46 meters.
To visit this attraction, you need to get to the island by ferry. Usually they go to the very top, from where you can admire the stunning panorama of New York and its harbor, which defies description.
Who gave the Statue of Liberty to America?
Despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America and New York, it was not made in the States. Where did she come from then?
Plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty with the date of the Declaration of Independence (Pete Bellis / flickr.com)
The attraction is interesting because it is a gift from France to the States on Independence Day. The statue was designed and made by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor. The main idea is to give a gift to America on the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.
The widow Isabella Boyer posed for the statue. An interesting fact is that this was the wife of Singer, the American creator famous brand sewing machines. This lady was not the last person in the capital and at the same time a beautiful woman.
An interesting fact is that the Statue of Liberty was originally planned to be erected not in New York, but in Port Said - in Egypt. But the Egyptian authorities considered this project too expensive. Therefore, it was decided to transfer the structure to the USA, where it will rise on the island of the New York metropolis.
Design and preparation for construction
The US authorities undertook to build the pedestal, and the statue itself was made in Paris. The French undertook to install it on site.
View from above of the Article of Liberty, New York, USA (Phil Dolby / flickr.com)
In order to raise the necessary amount for the implementation of the project, special measures were taken in both countries. In France, a certain amount of money was raised through lotteries, entertainment events, and citizen donations. In America, in order to raise the required amount, theatrical performances, artist exhibitions, fights in the ring and auctions were held.
In France, the author of the structure, Bartholdi, needed a technically educated person to construct the statue. Another interesting fact: this person was destined to become the architect Gustave Eiffel, whose most famous work in the future was the Eiffel Tower. He needed to design a steel support for the structure and a frame to support the statue with great height in a vertical position.
For the statue high altitude a huge amount of copper was needed. There are different interesting versions about the place of its extraction. For example, in Russia, in Nizhny Tagil. But the results of the study revealed that the copper was from Norway. The concrete base on which the Statue of Liberty stands required large amounts of cement. A German concrete production company undertook to supply it.
The formation of the amount necessary for construction did not proceed quickly enough. Joseph Pulitzer even called on American citizens to support construction. His speeches significantly influenced the speed of implementation of the plan. The pedestal was designed by an architect named Richard Morris Hunt.
Erecting the Statue of Liberty
Construction of the massive foundation near Manhattan in New York began on August 5, 1885. It took a little less than 9 months to build, and work ended on April 22, 1886. Steel lintels are inserted inside the stone pedestal. The metal beams connected to them are directed upward to form an Eiffel frame inside the structure itself.
France made its gift in the summer. The length of the entire structure was almost 34 meters. For transportation, it was disassembled into 350 fragments, which were distributed among many boxes. They were transported to the USA on the ship Isere. After 11 months, the Statue of Liberty appeared near New York, where it was erected in 4 months of work.
The Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled in 1886 in New York. The celebration was attended by Grover Cleveland, then ruling in the United States, and more than a thousand residents and guests of the city.
History of the Statue of Liberty of the United States of America
The Statue of Liberty near New York City sits on its massive granite base inside Fort Wood, built for defensive purposes in the early 19th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the lighthouse service was responsible for the operation of the facility. The US military then took over this role.
On October 15, by decree of the US government, Fort Wood, together with the Statue of Liberty, acquired the status of a monument to the American nation in the United States.
“a symbol of New York and the USA” Jon Dawson / flickr.com
In 1933, the US National Park Service became responsible for the Statue of Liberty. In 1937, the size of the monument grew and began to coincide with the outline of Bedloe. In 1956, the name of the island changed, it acquired a new name - Freedom Island.
In 1982, under the influence of the head of the country, Reagan, a project was created to restore the Statue of Liberty. As a result, the amount of $87 million was collected. In 1984, restoration work began, during which the old torch was replaced with a modern one with gold plating. Another interesting fact is that 24-karat gold was used for plating. In 1986, the renovated Statue of Liberty welcomed everyone to visit it on the occasion of its anniversary.
In early September 2001, due to the tragedy in the Twin Towers, the island, along with the Statue of Liberty, became inaccessible to those wishing to visit it. It was only in 2004 that the Statue of Liberty was again open to the public, but access to the top was still closed.
On July 4, 2009, by order of US President Obama, it became possible to visit the top of the Statue of Liberty. In 2011, the elevators with stairs were updated in honor of the next anniversary. In addition, for the convenience of visitors, an escalator was installed here. In 2012, the Statue of Liberty became fully accessible to New Yorkers and visitors to the United States.
The Statue of Liberty is one of the symbols of America and New York. It has been attracting tourists for many years and is a cult place among Americans.
The most famous symbol of America is the sculpture of "Liberty Enlightening the World." Many people know that it was a gift from France, but few know which country also participated in its creation, albeit indirectly.
Also from the article you can learn about some interesting facts related to the construction, installation and operation of the statue. And you will also know the names of those who put a lot of effort into creating the monument.
What was the gift dedicated to?
It is known who gave America the Statue of Liberty. But what was this gift dedicated to? In 1876, France decided to present a gift for the centenary of American independence. It took years to raise funds for this idea. The French and Americans took part in this. But by the time the statue was erected, several years had passed, and the anniversary of independence had already passed.
“Lady Liberty” holds in her hand a tablet on which the date of signing is written in Latin, namely “July, 4, 1776.” In 1883, Emma Lazarus' sonnet "The New Colossus" was dedicated to the statue. The lines from it were engraved on a plate in 1903 and attached to the sculpture's pedestal.
History of creation
The story began with France's decision to entrust this work to the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Further, the countries agreed that the pedestal would be built by America, and the sculpture at the expense of the French. Who else was involved in creating the gift?
Here is a list of those who gave America the Statue of Liberty:
- Frederic Bartholdi designed the exterior and provided his suggestions for where Lady Liberty should be placed;
- and his assistant Maurice Koechlin created drawings for the massive steel support and support frame;
- Richard Morris designed the pedestal for the sculpture;
- US General William Sherman chose the location for the statue;
- Ulysses Grant is the US President who supported the idea of creating a symbol of Freedom.
The construction of the sculpture was completed in 1884. It was delivered disassembled on the frigate Isere to New York Harbor a year later. This required more than two hundred boxes. The assembly took four months, and the official opening took place on October 28, 1886. Despite the fact that the gift was ten years late for the centennial anniversary, many honored guests gathered for its opening, including US President Grover Cleveland. If it were not for such a belated opening of the monument, the people of America would have heard a congratulatory speech from someone who still held this post on July 4, 1976.
Russian trace
In addition to the French and Americans, according to some sources, Russians are also involved in the sculpture. The copper sheets with which it was covered were purchased in Russia. They were manufactured at the Nizhny Tagil plant. However, many researchers have already been able to refute this fact. The fact is that in Nizhny Tagil at that time there had not yet been a Railway. Researchers concluded that the copper was delivered from Norway, although there is no documentary evidence of this.
Who gave America the Statue of Liberty? Regardless of whether there was a Russian or Norwegian trace in this, it was the French people who became the initiator and creator of the symbol of freedom.
Choosing a location for installation
Where is the Statue of Liberty today? As at the time of its installation, it is located on an island three kilometers southwest of Manhattan (its southern part), in New York. Before the statue appeared, it was called Bedloe's Island. After the French gift was placed on it, people began to call it Liberty Island. In 1956 it was officially renamed.
Use of the statue
Over the entire period of its existence, the well-known symbol of America was not just an architectural monument. Initially it was planned to be used as a lighthouse. Practice has shown that the lamps in the torch were weak and ineffective. From the unit that managed lighthouses, the figure was transferred to the War Department, and later to the service that dealt with national parks.
By 1924, the exhibit became a US National Monument and was later included in the UNESCO list.
How the Statue of Liberty was used in different years? She had the following incarnations:
- lighthouse;
- museum;
- Observation deck.
During the entire existence of the figure, it was repaired many times, but the most extensive work was carried out in 1938 and 1984.
The reader already knows who gave America the Statue of Liberty. But few people know that the sculpture depicts ancient Greek (some historians agree on this). This goddess was the mistress of hell, and she used the torch in underground world. In addition, she was considered the patroness of witchcraft, insanity, madness, and obsession. Hecate was depicted with horns on her head, but they can be seen on the statue in the form of rays of light. Although it is believed that in fact Bartholdi embodied the image of the ancient Roman goddess Libertas.
The right hand holding a torch crossed Atlantic Ocean three times. It was first transported in 1884 to Philadelphia for the World's Fair, and then returned. The third time the hand swam across the ocean with all the other parts of the statue.
After the events of September 11, 2001, access to the island and to the symbol of America was closed. By 2012, access was completely open, right up to the crown. You can go up the stairs or by elevator. To reach the crown, you need to climb 356 steps. On observation deck 25 windows were created that offer views of the harbor.
There are many smaller copies in the world. For example, in Paris, Tokyo, and also more than two hundred copies in America itself.
The number of rays on the crown is believed to symbolize the seven continents, according to Western geographical tradition.
By 1886, the torch was severely damaged by corrosion and was replaced with a new one, which was coated with 24-carat gold.
