The Statue of Liberty, or, as it is also called, Lady Liberty, has symbolized the spread of freedom and democracy for many years. A striking symbol of liberation is the statue's trampling of broken shackles. Located on the mainland of North America in New York, the impressive structure is invariably presented to all its guests and gives the most unforgettable experience.
Creation of the Statue of Liberty
The monument went down in history as a gift to the United States from the French government. According to the official version, this event took place in honor of America's celebration of the 100th anniversary of its independence, as well as as a sign of friendship between the two states. The author of the project was the leader of the French anti-slavery movement Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Labuele.
Work on the creation of the statue began in 1875 in France and was completed in 1884. It was headed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a talented French sculptor. It was this outstanding person who for 10 years created the future symbol of freedom on a global scale in his art studio.
The work was carried out in collaboration with the best minds in France. Gustave Eiffel, designer of the Eiffel Tower project, was involved in the construction of the interior steel frame of the famous statue. The work was continued by one of his assistants, engineer Maurice Kechlin.
The grand ceremony of presenting the French gift to American colleagues was scheduled for July 1876. A banal lack of funds became an obstacle on the way to the implementation of the plan. American President Grover Cleveland was able to accept the gift of the French government in a solemn atmosphere only 10 years later. The date of the solemn transfer of the Statue was October 1886. Bedlow Island was designated the site of a historic ceremony. After 70 years, it received the name "Freedom Island".
Description of the legendary landmark
The Statue of Liberty is one of the world's most famous masterpieces. Her right hand lifts the torch proudly, while her left hand holds up a tablet with letters. The inscription indicates the date of the most important event for the entire American people - the Independence Day of the United States of America.
The dimensions of Lady Liberty are impressive. Its height from the ground to the top of the torch is 93 meters. The dimensions of the head are 5.26 meters, the length of the nose is 1.37 m, the eyes are 0.76 m, the arms are 12.8 meters, the length of each hand is 5 m.The size of the plate is 7.19 m.
Curious what the Statue of Liberty is made of. It took at least 31 tons of copper to cast her body. The entire steel structure weighs about 125 tonnes in total.
The 25 view windows located in the crown are a symbol of the country's wealth. And the rays emanating from it in the amount of 7 pieces are a symbol of the seven continents and seas. In addition to this, they symbolize the expansion of freedom in all directions.
Traditionally, people get to the site of the monument by ferry. A favorite place to visit is the crown. To enjoy the local landscapes and views of the New York coast from above, you need to climb to a special platform inside it. To this end, visitors will have to climb a large number of steps - 192 to the top of the pedestal, and then 356 in the body itself.
As a reward for the most persistent visitors, there are expansive views of New York and its picturesque surroundings. No less interesting is the pedestal, where there is a museum with historical expositions located in it.
Little known interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty
The period of creation and subsequent existence of the monument is filled with interesting facts and stories. Some of them are not covered even when tourists visit New York City.
The first name of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is the name by which the masterpiece is known all over the world. At first it was known as "Liberty Enlightening the World" - "Freedom that Illuminates the World." At first, it was planned to erect a monument in the form of a farmer with a torch in his hand instead. The place of establishment was to be the territory of Egypt at the entrance to the Suez Canal. The drastically changed plans of the Egyptian government prevented this.
The prototype of the face of the Statue of Liberty
The information is widespread that the face of the Statue of Liberty is nothing more than a fiction of the author. However, two versions of its origin are known. According to the first prototype of the face, the face of the famous model of French origin Isabella Boyer became. According to another, Frederic Bartholdi immortalized the face of his own mother in the monument.
Metamorphoses with color
Immediately after creation, the statue was distinguished by a bright golden-orange color. In St. Petersburg, visitors to the Hermitage can see a painting where it is captured in its original form. Today the monument has acquired a green color. This is due to patinating, a process by which metal takes on a blue-green tint when it interacts with air. This transformation of the American symbol lasted for 25 years, which is captured in numerous photos. The copper coating of the statue oxidized naturally, as can be seen today.
"Travel" of the head of Lady Liberty
Little known fact: Before all the pieces of the French gift were collected in New York, the Statue of Liberty had to travel around the country in disassembled form for some time. Her head was exhibited in one of the Philadelphia museums in 1878. The French, too, decided to enjoy the spectacle before she left for her destination. In the same year, the head was put on public display at one of the Parisian exhibitions.
Ex-record holder
In the 21st century, there are buildings that surpass the symbol of America in height and weight. However, during the years of the development of the project of the Statue, its concrete base was the largest in the world and the most dimensional concrete structure. Outstanding records soon ceased to be such, but the monument is still associated in the world consciousness with everything majestic and new.
Statue of Liberty twins
Many copies of the American symbol have been created all over the world, among them several dozen can be found in the United States itself. A pair of 9-meter lances can be seen in the vicinity of New York's National Liberty Bank. Another, reduced to 3 meters, copy holding the Bible adorns the state of California.
The official twin copy of the monument appeared in the late 80s of the XX century. The Americans presented it to the French people as a sign of friendship and gratitude. Today this gift can be seen in Paris on one of the islands of the Seine rivers. The copy is reduced, nevertheless, it is capable of striking those around it with an 11-meter height.
Residents of Tokyo, Budapest and Lvov erected their own copies of the monument.
We advise you to learn about the statue of Christ the Redeemer.
Smallest Statue of Liberty
The authorship of the reduced to a minimum copy belongs to the inhabitants of western Ukraine - sculptor Mikhail Kolodko and architect Alexander Bezik. You can see this masterpiece of contemporary art in Uzhgorod, in Transcarpathia. The comic sculpture is made of bronze, is only 30 cm high and weighs about 4 kg. Today it symbolizes the desire of the local population for self-expression and is known as the smallest copy in the world.
Extreme "adventures" of the monument
In its lifetime, the Statue of Liberty has gone through a lot. In July 1916, a brutal terrorist attack took place in America. On the Black Tom Island, located near Liberty Island, explosions were heard, comparable in strength to an earthquake of about 5.5 points. Their culprits were saboteurs from Germany. During these events, the monument received severe damage to some of its parts.
In 1983, in front of a large public, the illusionist David Copperfield conducted an unforgettable experiment in the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. The original focus was a success. The huge statue did disappear, and the stunned audience tried in vain to find a logical explanation for what they saw. In addition to the perfect wonders, Copperfield surprised with a ring of light around the Statue of Liberty and another one next to it.
Today, the symbol of the United States still rises majestically in the skies over New York, retains its global importance and is the pride of the American nation. For America itself and other states, it is associated with the spread of democratic values, freedom and independence throughout the world. Since 1984, the statue has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
