When was the Statue of Liberty erected? The Statue of Liberty in the USA - the history of the American symbol of freedom and democracy

Where is the most famous symbol of the New World

The full name of the Statue of Liberty is "Liberty Enlightening the World". This is the absolute champion among all the symbols of the United States and the American continent in terms of mention and significance for pop culture. It was she who became the first and most significant object that hundreds of thousands of immigrants saw when sailing into the bay of New York. Therefore, “Freedom” for Americans is immediately associated with a large number of symbols: it is both a new life and a rejection of everything old, and at the same time something so blatantly neoclassical and European right in the center of the metropolis.

The exact location of the Statue of Liberty

The monument is located in North America, on the Atlantic coast in the largest US city, New York.

More precise location: Liberty Island at the mouth of the Hudson River at 40.68 degrees North and 74.04 degrees West.

The place where the statue stands is picturesque and from many angles looks picturesque: a lonely and relatively small island in the middle of a bay with a strong current, surrounded by sparkling skyscrapers. All this in the heart of New York next to Manhattan.

Statue of Liberty as a tourist attraction

The history of the emergence of the Statue of Liberty is the history of the realization of the American pathos of the young Republican people. It is symbolic that the sculpture symbolizes not only abstract freedom, but also its universality and universality. Its creators were inspired by the spirit of the European Enlightenment and faith in the power of industry and progress in the 19th century. Therefore, it is not surprising that the co-author of its creator, Frederic Bartholdi, was the same Gustave Eiffel, who designed the famous tower in Paris. At the same time, copper for coating, apparently, was taken from the Ural deposits, so the project turned out to be truly international and global.

The construction required incredible forces, since at that time the technical capabilities were much less. That is why it took a detailed study of the steel frame by Eiffel. A copper shell, created by the sculptor Bartholdi, is already attached to the frame. Delivery and installation in themselves proved to be a titanic task and required a lot of effort from both countries, France and the United States. Even the creation of a massive concrete pedestal on a small island took a long time and was associated with difficulties.

The Statue of Liberty was presented by the French government to the American people in 1876 on the centenary of the American Revolution. The whole design is filled with symbolism: seven rays symbolize the number of continents, the torch is designed to illuminate the world, spreading the light of freedom, while in the left hand there is an image of the US constitution, as the guarantor of these freedoms. What Liberty looks like as an ancient Greek goddess is also an attempt to create continuity in the symbols of European history and instill the neoclassical tradition in the New World.

With a total weight of 183 tons and a height of 93 meters, the Statue of Liberty seems to be a large object even against the backdrop of skyscrapers, in the 19th century it was simply amazing and instilled faith in the achievements of technology and industry.

On the day of the celebration in the West of Satanic Halloween, we will talk about the statue that has become a symbol of the new Atlantis, as some of the United States of America are called. The Statue of Liberty was officially opened in New York on October 28, 1886. What is it dedicated to and who does it represent?

This is our article.

official history

The sculpture is a gift from France for the 1876 World's Fair and the centenary of American independence. The statue holds a torch in its right hand and a tablet in its left. The inscription on the tablet reads "eng. JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (written in Roman numerals the date "July 4, 1776"), this date is the day the United States Declaration of Independence was adopted. With one foot, “freedom” stands on broken chains.

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 gems and heavenly rays that illuminate the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (Western geographical tradition has exactly seven continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia).

Statue of Liberty in numbers:

• Height from the top of the base to the torch 46.05 m


• Height from the ground to the top of the pedestal 46.94 m


• Height from the ground to the top of the torch 92.99 m


• The height of the statue is 33.86 m


• Hand length 5.00 m


• Index finger length 2.44 m


• Head from crown to chin 5.26 m


• Face width 3.05 m


• Eye length 0.76 m


• Nose length 1.37 m


• Right arm length 12.80 m


• Right arm thickness 3.66 m


• Waist thickness 10.67m


• Mouth width 0.91 m


• Plate height 7.19 m


• Plaque width 4.14 m


• Plate thickness 0.61 m


• The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.


• The total weight of the copper used to cast the statue is 31 tons


• The total weight of its steel structure is 125 tons.


• The total weight of the concrete base is 27,000 tons.

The statue was built from thin sheets of copper minted in wooden moulds. The formed sheets were then mounted on a steel frame.

Usually the statue is open to visitors, usually arriving by ferry. The crown, which can be reached by stairs, offers extensive views of New York Harbor. The museum, located in the pedestal, houses an exhibition of the history of the statue. The museum can be reached by lift.

The territory of Liberty Island (Freedom) originally belonged to the state of New Jersey, later was administered by New York, and is currently under federal administration. Until 1956, the island was called "Bedloe's Island", although it has also been called "Liberty Island" since the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1883, American poet Emma Lazarus wrote The New Colossus, a sonnet dedicated to the Statue of Liberty. 20 years later, in 1903, it was engraved on a bronze plate and affixed to the wall in the museum, located on the pedestal of the statue. The famous last lines of "Freedom":

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

In Russian translation by V. Lazaris:

“To you, ancient lands,” she cries, silent
Lips not parted - to live in empty luxury,
And give me from the bottomless depths
Your outcasts, your downtrodden people,
Send me the outcasts, the homeless,
I’ll light a golden candle for them at the door!”

In a translation closer to the text:

“Leave, ancient lands, the praise of the ages to yourself!”
Calls silently. "Give me your weary people,
All those who yearn to breathe freely, abandoned in need,
From the narrow shores of the persecuted, the poor and orphans.
So send them, homeless and exhausted, to me,
I raise my torch at the golden gate!

What does the Statue of Liberty really symbolize?

The Statue of Liberty (yes, with a small letter), if you look at it without propaganda tinsel - this giant woman in a crown with seven rays, with a book and a torch in her hand ... who is she? Another fairy tale about the American dream and the ideals of democracy, the national pride of the non-existent American nation?

It is not customary to talk about the true origin and ordeals of sculpture, about its origins, originating in incompatible cultures, or about the financial side of the existence of a “lady”. The fable about the gift in honor of the friendship between France and the United States travels the world as traditionally as the ruddy Santa Claus - another brainchild of commerce. But we still turn over a few pages of history back and see how it really happened.

The idea of ​​​​creating a statue belongs to Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - if you can call it an idea to create an unoriginal monument, boasting only fragments of classical art and gigantic dimensions. Bartholdi was born in 1834 into a wealthy Jewish family and studied with the famous masters of Paris - without much zeal, but full of ambitious plans. In order to get out into the people, Bartholdi resorted to the help of influential relatives who were directly related to the Freemasons.

Quite a lot is known about the influence of Freemasonry on the creation of the United States, from the founding fathers to the symbolism of the dollar. Pyramids, stelae, the all-seeing eye, etc. also decorate various government buildings in the US. Let us recall that on July 4, 1776, representatives of their brotherhood signed the Declaration of Independence, which opened the way to the creation of an independent state (we wrote about this in the article “What is the USA or why was this state created? (Part One)” http://inance.ru/ 2015/10/usa-01/).

“What is the USA or why was this state created? (Part One)" http://inance.ru/2015/10/usa-01/

However, about the most important symbol of the United States - the Statue of Liberty - as a rule, no connections are made with Freemasonry.

Egyptian sketches

In the 70s of the XIX century, under the control of Freemasons in Egypt, the construction of the Suez Canal took place. The young ambitious Bartholdi came here, and his imagination was struck by the majestic monuments of this region, which survived the millennia. So the idea was born in his head to create something as colossal and impressive that would forever perpetuate his name. Meeting with the head of construction, Ferdinand Lesseps, Frederick persuaded him to intercede about his plan. The proposal looked like this: to install a giant statue at the entrance to the future canal - it was supposed to be twice as high as the Great Sphinx and serve as a lighthouse.

Bartholdi decided not to wait for the muse, but to hastily make some kind of layout for consideration by the local government (it was he who was credited with the alleged financing of the project). Yes, and it was not necessary to invent anything - this was already done by the ancient Greeks, who created around 280 BC the Colossus of Rhodes - one of the seven wonders of the world. This huge statue of an athletic youth staring out to sea was erected at the entrance to the harbor of the island of Rhodes and subsequently partially destroyed by an earthquake.

Bartholdi “dressed up” the model in Egyptian clothes, placed an amphora in his hand, and crowned his head with a wreath. But Lesseps advised him to use the attributes of the ancient Iranian god Mithra - the god of peace, harmony, and later the sun.

marginal notes

Mithra is the Indo-Iranian god of light and the sun, close to the ancient Greek Helios. His usual attributes were a chariot and a golden throne. Over time, the cult of Mithra penetrated into Asia Minor and changed significantly. Mitra became the god of friendship, who united, reconciled, protected, enriched people. They depicted him as a young man in short, flowing clothes and a Phrygian cap. The cult of Mitra at the beginning of our era spread in the Roman Empire, enjoyed the patronage of emperors, and was later supplanted by Christianity.

A special photo of the head of the Statue of Liberty at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878.

When the cult of the god Mithra spread in Ancient Rome, the following legends began to be told about the god of the Sun. He was born as a rock at sunrise. In one hand he held a sword, in the other hand a torch. Mithras fought the Sun, conquered it and thus became its ally. After that, he subdued the bull (a symbol of ancient civilization), dragged him into his cave and killed him there. The bull's blood fertilized the soil, and plants, fruits, and small animals flourished everywhere.

The Sun God was revered throughout the Roman Empire. Four hundred places of sacrifice that have survived from those times testify to this even today. The god Mithra was especially revered by ordinary people who performed religious rites in his honor. Thanks to the soldiers, Mithraism became known throughout the world of that time. The places of this cult known today exist mainly as altars in the rocks.

Miter with rays and an eagle, which later became the symbol of the United States

Along with numerous symbols, they are engraved with the signs of the zodiac. The god Mithra himself always takes the place of the Sun, the central constellation of the ancient Romans.

Thus the statue received a torch and a seven-pointed crown from the god Mithras, although there is another deity who looks similar. Have you started thinking about the title: "Progress Bringing Light to Asia"? Or replace "progress" with "Egypt"? And then they remembered the popular in France painting "Freedom on the Barricades" by the romantic painter Eugene Delacroix. The word "freedom" was already temptingly "glued" to the project of the statue, but the government refused to spend money on a gigantic idol - so Bartholdi returned to France without salt and slurp.

French incarnation

Eugene Delacroix "Freedom on the Barricades"

The time of the creation of the statue coincides with the entry of Bartholdi into the Masonic lodge (Alsace-Lorraine branch) - it was 1875.

And the year 1876 was approaching - the centenary of American independence. Hearing in the political circle complaints about the lack of genuine masterpieces of art dedicated to Freedom in America, the French senator and member of the same order of Freemasons, Edouard de Laboulet, decided to revive the failed project in Egypt. All this, of course, had to be properly presented to the masses: it was decided to “gift” the statue to the States “as a token of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”

But the "gift" had to be paid - both to French and overseas ordinary citizens. A whole Franco-American Union, headed by Laboulet, was urgently established, and committees were organized in both states to organize fundraising. Moreover, none other than our old acquaintance, Ferdinand Lesseps, became the head of the French headquarters! The fundraising campaign in the United States was led by Joseph Pulitzer, later known as the creator of the most prestigious journalism award, and then still the publisher of the New York World newspaper. With an understanding of all the intricacies of influencing the masses, he criticized rednecks and moneybags, referring to ordinary Americans (the merchant was not a blunder - this significantly increased the circulation of his newspaper). No one will tell us exactly how much money the friendly gentlemen laundered in this good deed, but in the USA alone, 100,000 dollars were withdrawn from circulation in this way.

The main work on the creation of the statue was done by the famous French engineer Alexander Gustave Eiffel (Bonikhausen), then known for his adventure in embezzling huge funds for fictitious work during the construction of the Panama Canal, but who became famous thanks to the construction in the center of Paris.

Eiffel was also a member of the Masonic lodge, and another brother in the lodge, who at that time served as Prime Minister of France, helped him get out of the Panamanian scam.

French engineer Gustave Alexandre Eiffel (left) and Auguste Bartholdi (right)

Eiffel made all the calculations, and also designed the iron support of the monument and the supporting frame, which was then sheathed with metal sheets. Then Bartholdi got down to business again, and added a few modern details: at the feet of the statue, he placed “broken chains of tyranny”, more like the chains that bound the statue itself.

He put the Book of Laws (Declaration of Independence) into his left hand, dressed the now “lady” in Roman clothes.

Some believe that Bartholdi gave her the features of his mother, Charlotte Beiser, although the model was the recently widowed Isabella Boyer, wife of Isaac Singer, an entrepreneur in the field of canal equipment and sewing machines, who sponsored Jewish socialists along with Rothschild.

The idea of ​​​​creating a statue belongs to Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - if you can call it an idea to create an unoriginal monument, boasting only fragments of classical art and gigantic dimensions. Bartholdi was born in 1834 into a wealthy Jewish family and studied with the famous masters of Paris - without much zeal, but full of ambitious plans. In order to get out into the people, Bartholdi resorted to the help of influential relatives who were directly related to the Freemasons (recall that on July 4, 1776 their representatives signed the Declaration of Independence, which opened the way to the creation of an independent state).

Egyptian sketches

In the 70s of the 19th century, under the control of Freemasons in Egypt, the construction of the Suez Canal took place. The young ambitious Bartholdi came here, and his imagination was struck by the majestic monuments of this region, which survived the millennia. So the idea was born in his head to create something as colossal and impressive that would forever perpetuate his name. Meeting with the head of construction, Ferdinand Lesseps, Frederick persuaded him to gossip about his plan. The proposal looked like this: to install a giant statue at the entrance to the future channel - it was supposed to be twice as high as the Great Sphinx and serve as a lighthouse.

Bartholdi decided not to wait for the muse, but to hastily make some kind of layout for consideration by the local government (it was he who was credited with the alleged financing of the project). Yes, and it was not necessary to invent anything - this was already done by the ancient Greeks, who created the Colossus of Rhodes around 280 BC - one of the seven wonders of the world. This huge statue of an athletic youth staring out to sea was erected at the entrance to the harbor of the island of Rhodes and subsequently partially destroyed by an earthquake. Bartholdi “dressed up” the model in Egyptian clothes, placed an amphora in his hand, and crowned his head with a wreath. But Lesseps advised him to use the attributes of the ancient Iranian god Mithra - the god of peace, harmony, and later the sun. So the statue received in return a torch and a seven-pointed crown.

Have you started thinking about the title: "Progress Bringing Light to Asia"? Or replace "progress" with "Egypt"? And then they remembered the popular in France painting "Freedom on the Barricades" by the romantic painter Eugene Delacroix. The word "freedom" was already temptingly "glued" to the project of the statue, but the government refused to spend money on a gigantic idol - so Bartholdi returned to France without salt and slurp.

French incarnation

The year 1876 was approaching, the centenary of American independence. Hearing in the political circle complaints about the lack of genuine masterpieces of art dedicated to Freedom in America, the French senator and member of the same order of Freemasons, Edouard de Laboulet, decided to revive the failed project in Egypt. All this, of course, had to be properly presented to the masses: it was decided to “gift” the statue to the States “as a token of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”

But the "gift" had to be paid - both by French and overseas ordinary citizens. A whole Franco-American Union, headed by Laboulet, was urgently established, and committees were organized in both states to organize fundraising. And at the head of the French headquarters was none other than our old friend - Ferdinand Lesseps! The fundraising campaign in the United States was led by Joseph Pulitzer, later known as the creator of the most prestigious journalism award, and then still the publisher of the New York World newspaper. He, with an understanding of all the subtleties of mass fraud, criticized rednecks and moneybags, referring to ordinary Americans (the merchant is not a blunder - this significantly increased the circulation of his newspaper!) No one will tell us exactly how much money the friendly gentlemen laundered for a good cause, but only in the USA in this way withdrew $100,000 from circulation.

The main work on the creation of the statue was done by the famous French engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was not yet famous for his famous tower. He made all the calculations, and also designed the iron support of the monument and the supporting frame, which was then sheathed with metal sheets. Bartholdi took up the matter again, and added a few modern details: at the feet of the statue he placed “broken chains of tyranny”, put the Book of Laws (Declaration of Independence) in his left hand, and now dressed the “lady” in Roman clothes. But that's not all: Bartholdi gave her the features of his mother, Charlotte Beiser.

american life statue

After being made, the statue, hopelessly late for the event to which it was dedicated, was brought to the USA and installed on Bedloe Island (it was renamed Liberty Island only in 1956). This island, like Manhattan itself, actually belonged (and belongs) to respectable wealthy Jewish families. Later, it was here that business districts, dizzying skyscrapers appeared, and in general the largest financial center of the world was formed. The official opening of the statue on October 28, 1886 was attended by representatives of the Freemasons, including US President Grover Cleveland. The pathetic speech was delivered, apparently to pay tribute to refined sarcasm: “We will never forget either that Freedom chose a home here, or that the altar chosen by her will never be abandoned.” Although no, why not - after all, these people had great power and were really free!

At first, masculine "freedom" did not evoke any enthusiasm or patriotic feelings among people. And Bartholdi had to somehow explain the suspicious symbolism of his offspring: the torch is an attribute of Enlightenment, and the crown is a symbol of seven oceans and seven continents (I remember there were only six when we last checked ...) And then the time of the First World War came - suitable moment to hypocritically manipulate people's minds and cash in on the patriotism of gullible townsfolk. A mass circulation and advertising campaign of posters depicting the statue began. This is how some of the most ancient motivational posters were born (from which, in turn, demotivators, beloved by all, originate). The proceeds from the sale of these multi-colored pieces of paper (under the guise of a true symbol of America's Freedom), and covered almost half of the military budget.

Today, the monument is promoted no worse than the Eiffel Tower and the pyramids in Giza, continuing to bring income to the circle of the elite, "who are not talked about." And the statue still stands on a pedestal, at the base of which the words are carved: “Give me your fatigue, your poverty and breathe freely ...”

Location

Description of the object

From above, the steel skeleton is covered with copper sheets masterfully minted in wooden molds with a thickness of only 2.37 mm and a total weight of 31 tons. The copper plates spliced ​​together form the silhouette of the statue. By the way, copper was supplied to France from Russia. It is worth noting that one leg of the statue stands on broken shackles - this is how Bartholdi symbolically showed gaining freedom. On the plate in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty is the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776.

The cement base of the Statue of Liberty weighs 27,000 tons. To get to the top of the pedestal, you need to overcome 192 steps. Inside the pedestal is a museum, which can be reached by elevator.

History of occurrence

The Statue of Liberty was originally planned to be erected in Port Said under the name The Light Of Asia, but the then Egyptian government decided that it was too costly to transport the structure from France and install it.

By mutual agreement, America was to build a pedestal, and France was to create a statue and install it in the United States. However, the lack of money was felt 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 fights were held to raise funds.

Meanwhile, in France, Bartholdi needed the help of an engineer to resolve structural issues related to 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 an intermediate support frame that would allow the statue's copper shell to move freely while maintaining an upright position. Eiffel handed over the detailed design to his assistant, an experienced structural engineer Maurice Koechlin. The copper for the statue was purchased from the available stocks in the warehouses of the company Société des métaux of the entrepreneur Eugène Secretan. Its origin has not been documented, but studies in 1985 showed that it was mainly mined in Norway on the island of Karmøy.

The legend about the supply of copper from Russia was verified by enthusiasts, but did not find confirmation. In addition, the railways in Ufa and Nizhny Tagil were carried out later than construction; accordingly, the version about the supply of ore cannot be taken seriously. It is also noteworthy that the concrete base under the statue is made of German cement. Dickerhoff won the tender to supply cement for the foundation of the Statue of Liberty in New York, which at the time was the largest concrete structure in the world.

The site 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 Bartholdy himself, on Bedloe Island, where a star-shaped fort had stood since the beginning of the 19th century.

Fundraising for the pedestal progressed slowly, and Joseph Pulitzer (of Pulitzer Prize fame) issued an appeal in his World newspaper to support fundraising for the project's fund.

By August 1885, funding problems for the pedestal, designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt, were resolved, and the first stone was laid on 5 August.

Construction was completed on April 22, 1886. Two square lintels made of steel beams are built into the massive masonry of the pedestal; they are connected by steel anchor beams that go up to become part of the Eiffel (reminiscent of the frame of the Eiffel Tower) 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 Ysere. For transportation, the statue was disassembled into 350 parts and packed in 214 boxes. (Her right arm with torch, completed earlier, had already been exhibited at the World's Fair in Philadelphia in 1876, and then at Madison Square in New York.) The statue was assembled on its new base in four months. The grand opening of the Statue of Liberty, at which US President Grover Cleveland spoke, 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 too late.

The national monument - the Statue of Liberty - officially celebrated its centenary on October 28, 1986.

Working mode

How to get there

From France with love

Despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is an unofficial symbol of the United States, its homeland is France, which is under neighed America in the war with Great Britain. The monument was conceived as a gift frommany freedom-loving peopleto another, but also to ameThe Ricans have contributed to the creation of a masterpiece - the pedestal of the statue is made in the USA.

Loubetter thanOsicker than ever

The statue could well end up in Egypt instead of New York, because the author of the monument had such plans. It was supposed to be installed as a giga Ntsky lighthouse at the entrance to the Suez Canal in the city of Port Said. Butto reach an agreement on this project and failed.

Creative duo

The Statue of Liberty was designed by the architect Frederic Bartholdi. But another famous Frenchman, engineer Alexander Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, also worked on the monument. Bartholdi was in charge of the exterior of the statue, while Eiffel was in charge of designing the iron shell and framework.
Travel to New York

In order to transport the statue across the ocean, the sculpture was dismantled into 350 parts and loaded onto the French frigate Isère. The complexity of the operation lay in the fact that the weight of the statue exceeded 150 tons. Already on American soil, its assembly and installation lasted four months.

Crown, stones and rays

The prototype of Freedom, according to art historians, was the famous French model Isabella Boyer, the widow of Isaac Singer, the founder of a sewing machine company. Frédéric Bartholdi gave Lady Liberty an iconic touch. So, 25 viewing windows located in the crown of the statue symbolize precious stones that are mined in the United States. And the seven rays emanating from the crown are a symbol of the seven seas and seven continents, that is, a sign of the universal spread of freedom.

Bird's-eye

To climb the observation deck located inside the crown, visitors will have to overcome 192 steps to the top of the pedestal and 356 steps already inside the monument. The reward for the effort will be a magnificent view of the coast of New York. The total height of the statue - from the base to the top of the torch - is 93 m.

Kind with healthy

The Statue of Liberty turned out to be an excellent beacon for ships heading to Manhattan past Bedloe Island, on which the monument rises. Today, the need for a lighthouse has disappeared, but the Statue of Liberty does not stand idle: a historical museum is located inside it.
American Dream Unlimited

Copies of the Statue of Liberty can be found in many cities around the world. Only in Paris there are four scaled-down replicas of the famous Lady Liberty. There is its own Freedom in Tokyo, Las Vegas, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dnepropetrovsk.

Time is money

Entrance to the observation deck, as well as visiting the museum located inside the statue, is free. But a small amount will have to be paid to take the ferry to Bedloe Island. You will have to spend not only money, but also time: visitors are carefully examined. Precautions were heightened after September 11: for example, the crown of the Statue of Liberty became open to the public only in 2009.

History color

The Statue of Liberty often appears in the frames of various films. The creators of "Titanic" also shot one episode against the backdrop of the famous sculpture - and made a historical mistake. In the film, the statue has a familiar greenish tint. But in 1912, during the events of the film drama, the copper of the monument had not yet oxidized and was of a noble metallic color.

Features of the Statue of Liberty

Conclusion

October 28, 1936, on the 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the statue, US President Franklin Roosevelt said: “Freedom and peace are living things. In order for them to continue to exist, each generation must protect them and put new life into them.

In 1933 maintenance of the national monument was taken over by the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, the area of ​​the national monument was enlarged to cover the entirety of Bedloe Island, which was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also handed over to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Memorial. In May 1982, President Ronald Reagan commissioned Lee Iacocca to lead a private sector drive 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, the most successful public-private partnership in American history. In 1984, at the beginning of work on its restoration, the Statue of Liberty was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. On July 5, 1986, the restored Statue of Liberty was re-opened to visitors during Liberty Weekend, dedicated to its centenary.

I work a lot with children and it is always interesting for me to probe the boundaries of their horizons when we start classes. Sooner or later I ask a question about America, something like: "What do you know about this country?" or "What is the most famous monument in America?" Almost every child tells me that the symbol of America is the Statue of Liberty.

On my list of attractions that I wanted to visit in New York, the Statue of Liberty was number 8. But while walking around the city, it flashed here and there on the horizon so often that I decided to go to it earlier. Having carefully thought out the route and choosing a day, I went to find out what it is and why the Americans need this monument so much.

Statue of Liberty in numbers

It is not at all surprising that the monument is visible from many parts of New York, although it is located on Liberty Island south of Manhattan. After all, the height of the Statue is 93 meters from the base of the pedestal to the tip of the torch. At the same time, Lady Liberty herself occupies only half of the monument - about 46 meters. The length of the right hand holding the torch is almost 13 meters, and the length of the foot is slightly more than 7.5.