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 while 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. Next, 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 at that time a railway had not yet been built to Nizhny Tagil. 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 has the Statue of Liberty been used over the 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 ruler of hell, and she used the torch in the underworld. 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 the torch crossed the 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. There are 25 windows on the observation deck that offer views of the harbor.

There are many smaller copies in the world. For example, in Paris, Tokyo, as well as 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.

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Statue of Liberty it is one of the most famous, well-known symbols of American freedom. It is located on Liberty Island in the middle of the Hudson River in New York, USA.

What was the Statue of Liberty built in honor of?

The Statue of Liberty, its official name is “Liberty, Lights the World”, also has another affectionate name as “Lady Liberty”, which has become one of the symbols of freedom and democracy. The classic appearance of the statue is a prototype of the ancient Rome statue of the Goddess of Liberty, which was built against oppression of the people and tyranny.

Height of the Statue of Liberty?

The Statue of Liberty is a figure of a woman holding a torch. The statue is made of pure copper, which is mounted on a steel base, which in turn is covered with gold leaf. It stands on top of a rectangular stone pedestal in the shape of an irregular star. The statue has a height of 46 meters, if you add the pedestal and foundation, you get 93 meters. The face of the Statue of Liberty is 2.4 meters high. The Statue of Liberty weighs over 225 tons.

What's inside the Statue of Liberty?

Inside the statue there is a staircase with 354 steps that goes to its top. There are 25 viewing windows on its crown. The seven rays of freedom in the crown of the statue symbolize the seven continents of the world and the seven seas. His torch signifies enlightenment. The tablet in the hand of the Statue of Liberty signifies knowledge, where the date of the Declaration of Independence of the United States is written in Roman numerals: “July IV MDCCLXXVI.” The statue is located in the central part of the island and is a national monument protected by the National Park Service.

History of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty signifies the alliance between France and the United States during the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783. It was designed by the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. The French at one time donated money for the construction of the statue.

The first model of the Statue of Liberty, in 1870, was built on a small scale. The story begins with this, this was the first statue, which is now in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. A second copy of the statue, also on a small scale, is located in the city of Maceio in the northeastern part of Brazil.

Meanwhile, during the construction of the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty, the help of engineers was required to solve certain design problems that were associated with the installation of a colossal copper sculpture. Eiffel Tower designer Gustave Fiffel was commissioned to design the statue's enormous skeletal base that would allow it to stand upright.

On June 30, 1878, at the Paris Exhibition, the head of the Statue of Liberty was exhibited, which was organized in the garden of the Trocadero Palace. At that time, like others, parts of the statue were shown in another exhibition at Champs de Mars.

By an act of the US Congress in 1877, it was decided to bring and install the Statues of Liberty to America. General William Sherman was chosen as the commissioner for delivery and installation. The location for the construction and installation of the statue was also chosen - an island on the Hudson River.

On February 18, 1879, Bartholdi was issued a US patent for the industrial design of the statue No. D11,023. The decision was made to finance the Statue of Liberty in July 1882.

Once the statue was ready to be shipped to the United States, there were some problems with the smelting across the Atlantic Ocean. The pedestal on which she was supposed to stand did not fit into the ship. But still, the statue was prepared for transportation across the ocean, it was divided into 350 separate parts and then packed into 214 boxes.

Finally, on June 17, 1886, the statue arrived in New York Harbor and was officially installed on the massive Memorial designed by Richard Morris. Which was built with funds raised by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

In 1956, the US Congress passed an Act renaming Wood Island “Liberty Island.”

Wood Island itself was built and fortified with a pedestal in the 19th century, made of concrete and granite in the shape of a limited star, to protect New York City during the War of 1812.

The statue was in conservation, in boxes, for eleven months, awaiting its pedestal. In the United States, the Minister of France, P. Levi Morton, hammered the first nail in the construction of the statue. The long-awaited construction and installation has begun.

Finally, on October 28, 1886, it was inaugurated by President Grover Cleveland in front of thousands of spectators.

In 1924 the monument was declared a national monument. And in 1933, the statue was transferred to the National Park Service. For the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, between 1984 and 1986, it was reconstructed.

Like other historical sites managed by the National Park Service, statue of liberty, along with Ellis and Liberty Island, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. And in 1972, President Nixon opened an American museum dedicated to immigration at the base of the pedestal.

The Statue of Liberty was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984. And in 2007, he was among 20 finalists in the “Seven New Wonders of the World” competition.

Millions of tourists from different parts of the world visit the Statue of Liberty every year. And through the observation deck of the statue there is a beautiful view in which you can spend your time.

Statue of Liberty became an international symbol of freedom. Have you been there, write in the comments.

The Statue of Liberty was built on October 28, 1886. The French gave the statue to the American people as a sign of friendship between France and America. Over the past years, the monument has been recognized not only as the personification of the friendship of the two peoples (which has been relegated far to the background), but also as a symbol of the freedom of the American people, a symbol of the USA and New York as a whole.

The creation of the monument was entrusted to the sculptor and architect Frederic Bartholdi. A deadline was set - the monument had to be completed by 1876, coinciding with the centenary of the US Declaration of Independence. It is believed that this is a joint French-American project. The Americans worked on the pedestal, and the statue itself was created in France. In New York, all parts of the Statue of Liberty were assembled into a single whole.

After construction began, it became clear that much more funds were needed than originally planned. A large-scale fundraising campaign, lotteries, charity concerts, and other events were initiated on both sides of the ocean. When calculating the design parameters of the huge Bartholdi statue, the help of an experienced engineer was required. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower, personally designed the strong iron support and frame that allows the copper shell of the statue to move freely while maintaining the balance of the monument itself.

Pictured: Alexander Gustav Eiffel

After September 11, 2001, the statue and island were closed due to terrorist threats, but tours were resumed in 2009. You can climb onto the statue itself and its crown, but the torch is still closed. All visitors are subject to personal search in order to avoid a terrorist attack.

An interesting fact is that a wind of 100 km/h will cause the monument to sway 7.62 cm, while the torch will sway 12.7 cm. During the solemn speech at the unveiling ceremony of the statue on October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland made the following speech:

“We will always remember that Liberty chose this place as her home, and her altar will never be covered by oblivion.”

The Americans proclaimed the statue a symbol of freedom, which is also a visual embodiment of the country's democracy. The Statue of Liberty itself is located on a separate island of the same name near New York; the date of its construction is considered to be 1886.

Forty-six-meter gift

This statue is one of the seven tallest statues in the world, standing at about 93 meters in height. She seems to be towering on her island, stretching out her hand holding a torch straight into the sky. If we calculate separately the height of itself and the height of its pedestal, it turns out that the pedestal on which it stands is 47 meters, respectively, the statue itself, a gift from France, is slightly less - about 46 meters.

If you look in detail, you can study the height of the details of the statue. The torch, which is held in the right hand of the monumental Goddess of Liberty, is 8.8 meters long.

Inside the hand of the statue there is a so-called service or working staircase; its height is 12.8 meters. In the first years after the opening of the statue, this staircase was accessible to the general public, and anyone could climb it, but later - in 1916 - it was closed to the public. Currently, a special elevator can take visitors to the statue to its pedestal and to the very top - the crown.

In the opposite hand, the statue holds a tablet on which is written the date on which the US Declaration of Independence was adopted.

Crowned person

Located on the head of the Goddess of Freedom, it has its own original design and symbolism. The crown contains 25 windows that allow you to enjoy stunning views from a height of 93 meters.

Such a building is not only high, but also heavy. The total weight of the structure is estimated to be about 125 tons, and the weight of the copper statue is 31 tons.

The 7 rays located on the crown symbolize the 7 continents into which the earth is divided.

The Statue of Liberty is often compared to another giant statue, the Colossus of Rhodes. The height of the Colossus, according to surviving historical data, reached from 36 to 100 meters. Historical chronicles differ in their testimony, and therefore it is not possible to say exactly how many meters there were in the wonder of the world today.

An American poet who praised the Statue of Liberty wrote a work she called “The New Colossus.” Thus, once again emphasizing the majestic height of the building, it was later that her work was engraved on a bronze tablet and attached to the pedestal of the statue, where the Statue of Liberty Museum is now located.

A very large number of tourists visiting the United States of America go there with only one purpose - to see the Statue of Liberty. What features of this sculpture have been attracting the attention of travelers and local residents for many years, what interesting facts are connected with the history of its appearance, as well as the city where the Statue of Liberty is located, and in what other countries of the world can you see copies of this work? You will learn this and much more from this article.

Symbol of New York and the USA

Anyone who is even slightly interested in history knows where the Statue of Liberty is. One of the most famous sculptures in the whole world is located in the state of New York on an island that once bore the name Bedlow, but after placing this masterpiece on it, it is not called anything other than “Liberty Island”. In addition to its stunning size, it is distinguished by its deep meaning and fullness, and the art of execution, which the talented sculptor was able to demonstrate even when working with such a huge structure, is simply amazing. Even indigenous people regularly visit the place where the Statue of Liberty is located, let alone tourists. This monument is interesting not only externally. It is distinguished by a rich history. He has seen a lot in his almost two-hundred-year life and will see a lot more. From a height of almost 70 meters, taking into account the height of the pedestal, this symbol of independence and peace looks down at the person.

What does the Statue of Liberty look like, where is it located, in what country?

Although the creation of this masterpiece was timed to coincide with the centenary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence and is considered a gift from the French, it would be correct to call it a joint work of the best masters of these two nations. Even when work was in full swing, it was not completely known what the Statue of Liberty would look like in the final version. There is an opinion that even the Egyptian government was offered to receive this work of art as a gift, but it considered its transportation and installation too expensive.

If the French were entrusted with the execution of the sculpture itself, then the Americans were required to find a suitable place where the Statue of Liberty would be located after arriving in the country, and prepare a reliable pedestal for it.

The merit of two peoples

Both peoples simply had a catastrophic lack of funds to complete the work, so they resorted to various tricks to raise money. Theatrical performances, auctions, charity fundraisers, and various entertainment events were held, the purpose of which was to attract as many sponsors as possible. As a result, the goal was achieved, the required amount of money was collected and the work was completed, albeit ten years late from the planned completion date, but today this is no longer so important.

No less famous analogues

The statue located on Liberty Island has equally professionally made copies and analogues in many countries around the world. They also receive the attention of tourists and local residents, but always, despite their value for the owner country, on a global scale they will remain only a semblance of the world-famous cultural and historical heritage of America.

Those who are interested in where the Statue of Liberty is located in France will be given seven answers at once. There are four of them in Paris alone. The Paris museum houses a smaller model of the New York statue and is the most significant for history buffs. Just two meters high, a copy of the famous sculpture can be seen in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, and near the Eiffel Tower there is a rather large, eleven-meter analogue. It is already a return gift from the Americans to the French and is installed in the direction of the west, that is, as if facing the original. This symbolizes peace between the two nations.

It deserves attention

In the place where the life of the beloved Princess Diana was tragically cut short, there is also a monument to Freedom. It was erected long before the tragic events, but it became especially visited precisely after them. His torch is constantly filled with bouquets of flowers brought by fans of the deceased.

Tourists who visit Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer do not leave this city without a photo taken near the gilded sculpture. Its shape is copied from the New York original, but the luminous torch sets it apart from all its brothers. “Shining Freedom” is what the locals call it.

In a small square in the city of Poitiers, in memory of Frederic Bartholdi, who created that very American statue, on the centenary of his death, a copy of the masterpiece he created was also installed. The square has the same name, and it is not at all difficult for tourists to find it.

For those who are interested in where the Statue of Liberty is located, the country of Japan has prepared a wonderful surprise. On the island of Odaiba in Tokyo there is a beautiful monument, which is an almost exact copy of the world-famous statue. It is made very skillfully, and every person who visits the capital of Japan will definitely bring with them memorable photographs taken near it.

Did you know?

It turns out that even in Russia and Ukraine you can find places where the Statue of Liberty is located. Few people know in which city such specimens are located, but in Moscow guides will definitely tell you about the monument to Nikolai Andreev, which, unfortunately, has not survived to this day, as it was destroyed, but the head of the monument is still kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. In Ukraine, the smallest Statue of Liberty in the world, located in Uzhgorod, deserves special attention. Its height is only 30 cm, and its weight is 4 kg, but nevertheless it is quite useful, since it is an active lighthouse on the Uzh River. And in Lviv there is the only sitting Statue of Liberty in the world, and a huge number of tourists come to see it every year.

Symbols of freedom have always been and will be relevant for any nation. Freedom and peace are among the greatest values ​​of humanity. Being next to the majestic architectural monuments, you can simply physically feel the pressure, the fortitude that was inherent in the fighters for a free and independent existence and allowed them to free themselves from the oppression of the invaders.