Where is the Statue of Liberty located and how was it created? Where is the Statue of Liberty in New York? Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty coordinates

For us, Paris is inextricably linked with the Eiffel Tower, Berlin with the Brandenburg Gate, Moscow with the Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower, and London with Big Ben. Once in these cities, we immediately look around: where are these city symbols that are so important to us? Likewise, New York for all its guests is inseparable from the Statue of Liberty. Although it has long belonged not only to this wonderful city. Over time, the Statue of Liberty has turned into an unconditional and indisputable symbol of a huge country. And even to some extent - the whole world.

In France there is a wonderful excursion route - the Alsace Wine Road. The main pearl of this tour is a visit to the ancient half-timbered town of Colmar. Once there, it is impossible not to look into the beautiful and spacious mansion located in the very center. It was here that Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the future author of the famous Statue of Liberty, was born into a fairly wealthy family in 1834.

Nowadays there is a museum of the famous sculptor, on the top floor of which there are numerous models of the “Statue”, in various robes and headdresses, as well as photographs of all stages of its production and installation.

From here, after the death of his father, Frederick went to study in Paris, and then returned here as an architect.

Then, in the 1850s, he went on a trip to Egypt. The Pyramids, Sphinx, Luxor Temple and huge sculptures amaze and fascinate him. And Frederic gets the idea to create something equally majestic and grandiose.

Here he meets a famous diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps om, who then entered into negotiations with the Viceroy of Egypt Mohammed Said Pasha to obtain permission to begin work on the construction of the Suez Canal.

And when this construction was already nearing completion in 1869, Bartholdi received information that the Egyptian government was planning to install a lighthouse in the Port Said area, at the very exit of the canal to the Mediterranean Sea. Frederic urgently goes to the construction manager Lesseps with an interesting proposal. Roughly speaking, the basis of his idea was a unique interpretation of the sixth wonder of the world - the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, which was a grandiose structure (lighthouse) in the form of a huge sculpture of the Sun God - Helios. His 36-meter figure, facing the sea and presumably installed at the entrance to the harbor of the Greek island of Rhodes, was crowned with a crown with rays on his head and held a torch in his outstretched hand.

Bartholdi proposed to create a similar statue in Port Said, but with the image of an Egyptian woman in traditional dress, also with a torch in her hand, calling it “The Light of Asia” or “Egypt bringing the light of Asia”, as a symbol of the special role and progress that the Middle East brought To the east is the Suez Canal.

And although Lesseps accepted this idea with enthusiasm and worthily presented it to the new ruler of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, it was never implemented. Most likely because the country's authorities did not want to incur additional costs for its construction. Ultimately, an ordinary lighthouse was built there, serving faithfully to this day. Meanwhile, Bartholdi returned to his French projects and customers.

France. Birth of an idea

Soon it broke out The Franco-Prussian War, and after it came the Paris Commune. During these years, the ideas of republican America were especially close to the French. Moreover, a big date was approaching - the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of America. It is for this anniversary that the chairman of the Franco-American Society, Edouard de Laboulaye, a lawyer, historian and author of a three-volume work on the history of America, decides to create a thematic museum.

At this very time, after the triumphant completion of the construction of the Suez Canal, Lesseps returned to his homeland. He immediately takes an active part in the work of the community. Since it was assumed that the Americans would want to erect a corresponding monument for such a significant date, the idea arose at the same time to do this together.

Naturally, the well-known sculptor Frederic Bartholdi was also involved in this work. As we know, there have already been certain studies in this regard. And he is reworking his Suez project, although he will then do his best to deny this relationship.

Of course, in some ways he was right. Using only the basic idea - the “woman symbol”, Bartholdi thoroughly rethought and reworked that long-standing project. First of all, Frederick gave the figure a certain dynamics.

At that time, a painting by Eugene Delacroix was especially popular in Paris, in the foreground of which a beautiful woman was depicted with a tricolor republican banner in her right hand and a gun with a bayonet in her left, striving to step through the gunpowder smoke onto the barricade - “Liberty Leading the People.”

It is this striving forward, towards the goal, that Bartholdi tried to convey in his new work.Therefore, the right foot of the sculpture is already in motion, and the left one tramples the broken shackles at its feet, as a symbol of liberation from oppression, tyranny and slavery. This topic was especially close to American society at that time.

In the sculpture’s outstretched right hand, he placed a torch, sanctifying the path, and in the left hand - peculiar tablets with the date of signing of the Declaration of Independence of the United States - July 4, 1776, inscribed in Roman numerals “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI”, which is perceived completely naturally.

Which felt completely natural. After all, this heroic woman is like the ancient Roman goddess of freedom Libertas ) , was dressed by him in a loose toga and shod with sandals. The image he presented actually embodied the symbolic figures of Colombia from the United States and French Marianne.

A crown was placed on her head, framed (like diamonds) by 25 windows, with a halo of seven rays, personifying the seven parts of the world.

But the most important thing is the face. And Bartholdi portrays his mother. Later, the legend that his model was the beautiful Frenchwoman Isabella Boyer, the widow of the founder of the sewing machine company Isaac Singer, would become quite popular. But this version does not stand up to criticism. Indeed, to create the integrity of the image, Bertoldi needed not just a beautiful Raphaelian Madonna with her maternal tenderness and anxiety for the fate of the child; and even a beautiful French woman, not inspired by a revolutionary impulse, calling to the barricades; but a determined and purposeful woman, corresponding to the image of Libertas.This is exactly what his mother was, Charlotte Beiser, in whose portrait he only slightly toughened the features.

"Face" of the Statue of Liberty. Photo: Depositphotos

Frederick was so inspired by this Franco-American project that in 1871 he went to America with drawings and letters of recommendation, where he met many Americans who were kind to him and his project. It was probably at this time that he received orders to make the Figures of Four Trumpeting Angels for a church in Boston and a statue of General Lafayette in New York, which he completed in 1874 and 1876 respectively.

While observing the work of New York Harbor at the time, Bartholdi noticed that all ships arriving in New York sailed past Bedlow Island. And therefore, during a visit to President Ulysses Grant, he discussed with him the possibility of installing the future Statue of Liberty there. To which I received a generally positive response. Bartholdi then still thought in the usual categories of a lighthouse - a kind of symbol of the water gate to the city. After all, it was precisely such figures that were supposed to greet ships when entering the harbor of Rhodes, or the Suez Canal.

While Frederick was working on the technical side of this project, its organizational issues were being resolved “at the highest level.” In the end, already in 1895, it was decided that on the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of America, the French side would present America with a gift of the Statue of Liberty and organize its production, delivery and installation. The Americans, for their part, had to choose a place to install it and build a pedestal.

In both states, committees were created to organize fundraising. The French committee was headed by Ferdinant Lessens, and the American one was headed by lawyer William Evarts. An experienced entrepreneur, Lessens organizes banquets, evenings, social receptions, concerts, charitable donations and lotteries in France to attract influential circles to the campaign. The French opera even organized a musical performance, for which the famous composer Charles Gounod specially wrote an oratorio dedicated to the Statue of Liberty. He also conducted the orchestra. All this made it possible for Bartholdi to begin making the sculpture very soon.

When constructing a structure of such height and power, the most important thing was to solve the problems of its strength, rigidity and stability. Initially, it was assumed that the bottom of the statue (up to its middle) would be filled with sand, and only then work would follow on installing a metal frame. In this case, the folds of the toga on the statue could serve as a kind of stiffening ribs.

But the famous designer Gustave Eiffel (later the author of the Eiffel Tower) and his employees, who were involved in this work, proposed a different scheme: the installation of massive vertical steel supports, with an intermediate supporting frame. It was to this that the flexible skeleton of the iron statue was then supposed to be attached, to which light copper fencing sheets, easy to install and process, were hung. Moreover, both Eiffel and Bartholdi were well aware of the monuments to San Carlo Borromeo in Italy and Arminius in Germany, where similar solutions with copper cladding had already been used. True, the dimensions of these structures were significantly smaller than the Statue of Liberty.

The adopted design solution could also ensure complete stability of the sculpture when it oscillates from the pressure of the wind (now the range of oscillations of the figure itself reaches 7.6 cm, and the torch - 12.7 cm). In fact, this project was one of the first examples of a structure in which the external elements did not perform the load-bearing function provided by the internal structures.

Since at that time the Statue of Liberty was the tallest structure in the world, it is natural that many other technical problems arose during its manufacture. But they were gradually resolved, and soon the French side approached completion of the work.

America. Dream come true

In the United States the situation was completely different. Fundraising was slow and was openly boycotted by many. Since construction was to be carried out in New York, many cities withdrew from raising money. In fact, the committee was active in only three places: New York, Boston and Philadelphia. An attempt was made to pass a bill to allocate money for construction from the New York budget, but Governor Cleveland vetoed it. An attempt to receive part of the funds from the state was also unsuccessful. In the commissions of the US Congress, opinions prevailed that the construction of the “allegorical” monument was untimely at a time when the country needed monuments to the heroes of the Civil War.

The only issue that has been finally resolved is the allocation of space for construction. After Bartholdi himself visited New York, the question of erecting a statue inside the city was dropped, and the military Fort Wood on Bedlow Island was finally accepted as the construction site.

In order to somehow stir up the Americans, Bartholdi in 1876 brought to the World Exhibition in Philadelphia a model of the statue and its detail - a life-size hand with a torch.

However, the demonstration of this characteristic detail of the future sculpture did not make the desired impression either in Philadelphia or later in New York, where it was on display in Madison Square Garden for several years. Viewers could not imagine the entire sculpture as a whole and therefore this “hand” was perceived with skepticism.

And after Bartholdi decided to display the head of the statue at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1878, evil tongues began to say that “the Statue of Liberty will have a “hand” in New York, a “head” in Paris and nothing else, wherever whatever it was."It seemed that this project would never be realized, and the finished products would remain to rust in Paris.

In this upcoming drama, the only positive moment for Bartholdi was the construction in the same year of the beautiful “Capitol Fountain” in Washington, which delights guests of the capital to this day.

And then, completely unexpectedly, a new character appears in this story. He becomes Joseph Pulitzer, the publisher of a number of newspapers, including the then very popular The New York World, comes from a family of Hungarian Jews.The man to whom the country ultimately owes the appearance of its symbol, journalists for the Higher School of Journalism and the prestigious Pulitzer Prize, and the world press for its “yellow” color.

Outraged by such a depressing attitude towards the construction of the Statue of Liberty on the American side, he is involved in the implementation of this project with all his energy and enthusiasm.From the pages of his newspapers, Pulitzer addresses US citizens with harsh criticism of their behavior (from the president to ordinary people) and an appeal to help finance the construction of the monument. There is a canard that the statue will be given to Boston, etc.

Describing the structure itself in detail and surrounding it with a romantic aura, Pulitzer organizes an entire fundraising campaign. At the same time, newspapers publish the names of people who donated money for the construction of the monument, among whom were people who gave less than one dollar to the committee, and even children. And what is most surprising is that by August 1895 he managed to collect the entire missing amount.

In fact, 12,000 donations were recorded in just five months. Two years before the events described here, the country also held an auction of all kinds of works of art, which cultural figures provided free of charge to the auctioneers. All proceeds from their sale were donated to a committee to raise funds for the construction of the monument.

Emma Lazarus, a poet of Jewish origin with Portuguese roots, also took part in it.

Her sonnet “The New Colossus” dedicated to the monument (like Bartholdi, she remembered the Colossus of Rhodes) received universal recognition. Lines from this sonnet were even included on a memorial plaque, which is now kept in the statue museum:

“Keep, ancient countries, your legendary splendor,

And give me your tired, your poor...

And give it to me from the bottomless depths

Our outcasts, our downtrodden people,

Send me the outcasts, the homeless,

I’ll give them a golden candle at the door...”

These lines were written by her after a wave of pogroms that swept across Europe in the late 1880s, as a result of which crowds of immigrants poured to the shores of America, hoping to find a new homeland.And therefore, this sonnet made us look at the Statue of Liberty from a completely different perspective - as a symbol of a country that was ready to take under its roof all the outcasts and the disadvantaged, and promised them freedom and equality on this shore. Thus, “The New Colossus” became a kind of illustration of the original name of the sculpture: “Freedom, bringing light to the world.”

Now it becomes completely clear why memorial sculptural monuments were erected in the western part of Liberty Island to these five people who made the greatest contribution to the implementation of the project called “The Statue of Liberty”. Edward de Laboulaye, who came up with the idea of erecting the monument. Frederic Bartholdi, the sculptor who realized it, and Gustave Eiffel, who developed the metal frame of the sculpture. And also Emma Lazarus - poetess, author of the sonnet “The New Colossus” and Joseph Pulitzer - editor, organizer of the final fundraising campaign for the construction of the base and pedestal of the sculpture.

And these structures themselves were developed by the American architect and sculptor Richard Hunt, under whose leadership construction work began on August 5, 1885. By April 22, 1886, they were virtually completed, along with the design of the base of the pedestal in the form of a star with 11 rays. The height of the base with the pedestal from the ground was 47 m, which was one meter higher than the height of the monument itself.

As you know, on July 4, 1884, France officially presented the Statue of Liberty to the US Ambassador. It was then completely assembled in Paris and put on public display, and then in 1885 it was dismantled and sent to New York on the military frigate Isère, divided into 350 parts and packed in 214 boxes. Assembling the statue on the pedestal took another four months. And finally, on October 28, 1886, ten years late, the grand opening of the Statue of Liberty was scheduled.

This event was preceded by a military parade through the streets of New York, which was watched by up to a million city residents in the morning of that day. At 12:45 p.m., the yacht carrying the opening ceremony participants and US President Grover Cleveland set off for the island from the Manhattan pier. The company was mostly male. Feminists in New York tried to break into the island, but were not allowed. Their unofficial representatives were only Bertoldi's wife and Lessens' little granddaughter. It was he who opened the celebration, making a speech on behalf of the French side.

Bartholdi was not there. At that time, he was at the head of the sculpture in order to, at a signal, cut the ropes holding the huge French flag draped over the statue, and hiding this delightful golden-orange woman with a torch in her outstretched hand from the spectators, frozen in anticipation. By the time he went downstairs, the official part was already coming to an end. He only managed to hear the prophetic words of President Cleveland: “We will never forget that Liberty has chosen her home here, nor that her chosen altar will never be abandoned.”

The weather that day was cloudy and rainy. They decided to switch the fireworks display to the first of November. But numerous guests and delegations enthusiastically received the festive fireworks from the 21st salvo. So, more than 130 years ago, they celebrated the construction of this 46-meter Statue of Liberty. As Bartholdi dreamed, it exceeded the height of the legendary Colossus of Rhodes by 10 meters, and at that historical stage became the tallest monument in the world. This is how it began...

Continuation of the legend

Bartholdi made his dream come true. He created a beautiful symbolic figure installed at the entrance to the port, facing the visitors, with its whole appearance instilling in them the hope that they are expected here and are welcome here. And for ships it was supposed to serve as a navigational landmark and beacon. But the general difficulties and concerns of installing the monument were so great that there was no time for the technical problems associated with maintaining the fire in the lighthouse. For 16 years, three caretakers tried to solve these problems, but with varying degrees of success. In 1901, the lighthouse service transferred maintenance of the statue to the War Department. By that time, the copper plating of the statue began to gradually oxidize from exposure to humid air, and the monument began to acquire the greenish color so familiar to us today. However, military experts have proven that this emerging layer, patina, is a kind of protection of the metal from aggressive influences. And therefore the statue should not be painted a different color, as numerous advisers have already begun to demand.

A little later, on July 30, 1916, German agents organized sabotage on the Black Tom Peninsula, where a large ammunition depot was located. On the night of the attack, a total of about one kiloton of ammunition was stored here, many of which were allegedly being prepared for shipment to countries fighting against Germany in the First World War. The power of the explosion was estimated at 5.0 to 5.5 on the Richter scale. Its fragments also hit the Statue of Liberty, slightly damaging some of its parts and the torch. Simultaneously with its reconstruction, an underwater power cable was laid from the mainland to the island, and powerful lamps were installed around the sculpture. And already on December 2 of the same year, US President Woodrow Wilson turned on the full illumination of the figure for the first time. Now she herself, shining against the backdrop of the starry sky, showed the ships the way in the night better than any lighthouses.

Naturally, during the Second World War, the statue was not illuminated for blackout purposes. In the post-war period, attempts were made to commit sabotage on the tower itself, or to organize all kinds of protest rallies on its territory. And in 1971, members of the organization “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” carried out a so-called protest, generally barricading themselves inside the Statue, demanding an end to the war in Vietnam. All this testified to the special role that this building began to play in the life of the city, country and world.

In 1924, at the initiative of President Calvin Coolidge , The Statue of Liberty was declared a national monument, and in 1933 its maintenance was transferred to the National Park Service. Since 1937, the concept of a national monument has already been extended to cover the entire territory of the island, which in 1956 was renamed Liberty Island. It is curious that this idea was once voiced by Bartholdi himself.

In 1976, a more advanced and powerful lighting system was installed in the area of the monument. And in the early 80s, as part of the program to prepare for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the monument, a group of American and French experts discovered many structural problems that had accumulated during this time, and therefore it was recommended to carry out restoration work. They began in 1984, the same year that the Statue of Liberty was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The restoration required enormous work on anti-corrosion protection of about 1,800 metal plates of the statue, replacement of the torch, and design changes to stabilize the arm and shoulder. A glass two-story elevator, new staircases, and a heating and air conditioning system were installed. It was then that it became possible, having overcome 192 steps, to freely rise to the top of the pedestal. And those who wanted to get to the crown itself had to climb another 164 steps. A total of 356. However, the reconstruction was completed on time, and on July 5, 1986, President Reagan and French President François Mitterrand (now without a 10-year delay) inaugurated the statue to new generations of visitors.

However, due to the danger of terrorist threats after the events of 2001, and the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the normal functioning of the Statue of Liberty was temporarily suspended, and was continued only in 2013.

By this time, it was already so famous, recognizable and popular that it began to be copied all over the world. The number of these copies in the world already numbers several hundred. Between 1949-1952, the American Scouts, in celebration of its fortieth anniversary, donated approximately two hundred pressed copper replicas, 2.5 m tall (2.5 m. high), to various American states and municipalities. About half of them have survived to this day.

And the most popular of its copies in the United States are the sculptures installed near the New York casino building in Las Vegas and at the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

But the Parisian ones are considered the most prestigious of all copies. In 1889, the Americans presented the French with a 4-fold smaller copy of the statue (its height is 11.5 m), which was installed in Paris on Swan Island - a narrow artificial dam on the Seine, not far from the Eiffel Tower. Initially it was turned towards the tower itself, i.e. to the site of the famous Paris World Exhibition, and only in 1937 it was turned to the west. Now she's looking straight at her "big sister" in New York.

View of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the Paris Statue of Liberty is also visible. Photo: Depositphotos

Another two-meter copy, made by Bartholdi himself, found its place in the Luxembourg Gardens, but damaged by the barbarians, it was replaced by a copy. And the restored original now adorns the entrance to the Orsay Museum. But in the Museum of Arts and Crafts you can see in all details the very final model of the sculpture that was used by Bartholdi to create the American Statue of Liberty.

In 1987, the Americans made a new gift to Paris - the “Flame of Freedom”, a gilded full-size copy of this element of the sculpture of the American “Statue”.

Flame of Freedom in Paris. Photo: Depositphotos

It was installed on the Alma Bridge. And ten years later, the Welsh Princess Diana died right under him. And her many fans, identifying this fire with the memory of the princess, still bring bouquets of fresh flowers to the base of the monument. By the way, in 2004, on the centenary of the death of Frederic Bartholdi, a small copy of the Statue of Liberty (12 m high) was installed on his homeland - Colmar.

Symbols A visual image of the “Statue” and its parts can be seen on many commemorative coins, banknotes, stamps and postcards, emblems of sports associations and the Libertarian Party of the United States, New York license plates (1986 - 2000), advertising brochures of many companies, etc. .d etc.

It is easy to find numerous references to it in fiction, paintings and musical works all over the world.

It's rare to see a movie about New York without a picture of the Statue of Liberty. But there are many films in which she plays a “star” role. Already in 1933's The Flood, one of the first disaster films, an earthquake is shown turning Manhattan into ruins, after which a tsunami washes away the Statue of Liberty. The famous Hitchcock in his “Saboteur” (1941) depicts the confrontation of his heroes on top of the “Statue”. In Steven Spielberg's film "Artificial Intelligence" (2001), the Statue of Liberty also completely sinks due to global warming. And in the film “The Day After Tomorrow” (2004) she also freezes as a result of the onset of arctic cold. In “Planet of the Apes” (1968), the main character, having only discovered the half-buried Statue of Liberty on the ocean shore, realizes with despair that he is on planet Earth. And in the film “Iron Sky” (2012), the Nazis, flying to New York, destroy it. But " Ghostbusters 2"(1989) revive the Statue of Liberty and use it in the fight against Evil. And so in different variations in many more films. And even Soviet cinema - in Leonid Gaidai’s film “ The weather is good on Deribasovskaya, or it’s raining again on Brighton Beach"(1992) makes the Statue of Liberty turn its head in surprise towards the hero Dmitry Kharatyan flying on a bed over New York.

However, various amazing stories and oddities associated with the “Statue” happened not only in the movies, but also in real life. For example, in 1918 on the parade ground of a military camp Camp Dodge(Iowa) 18 thousand US Army soldiers formed the silhouette of the Statue of Liberty. They were dressed in special uniforms of different colors and shades to create maximum realism of the composition. An overhead photograph of this structure was to be used in advertising war bond sales during World War I, but unfortunately was never used.

But 60 years later, during the election of the president and vice-president of the student union of the University of Wisconsin, a promise was included in the next election program to move the Statue of Liberty from New York to Wisconsin. Contenders for this post, Jim Mallon and Leon Varjan, commissioned a model of the sculpture, consisting only of a head and a hand with a torch, which were dropped by pranksters on the frozen Lake Mendota. At the same time, it seemed as if the remaining parts of the statue were covered with water.

However, the most memorable attraction associated with the “Statue” was not only performed by the famous illusionist David Copperfield in 1983, but was also included in the Guinness Book of Records. In front of a huge audience, he performed a brilliant trick, making the "Statue" disappear, using two towers, a rotating stage, an arch and a curtain that hid the sculpture from view. Of course, at the end of the trick, he “returned” the Statue of Liberty to its place, to the complete delight of numerous spectators.

About the place where this famous sculpture was installed, legends have been preserved associated with the name of Captain William Kidd, a pirate hunter who himself was a fairly wealthy man. Allegedly, in ancient times, he hid all his treasures on Liberty Island, which then bore the name Bedlow. Since then, many people have tried to discover this treasure, but to no avail. But in our time there is no point in bothering yourself with these searches. Not at all because everything was dug up here a long time ago, but because the Statue of Liberty erected here is in itself one of the most significant and unique treasures or jewels of the world.

Perhaps this is why, when traveling on business on the Staten Island Ferry, you can’t help but walk up to the side of the ship, watching how it slowly approaches the island with the Statue of Liberty located on it. And an amazing feeling of inner excitement and involvement with this city, this country and its main symbol involuntarily comes. The statue will be visible to you for some time, and then the image of this world-famous woman, who means so much to the world, will gradually disappear into the distance. But it will never leave you. Forever remaining the legendary Statue of Liberty - one of the most important symbols of the country.

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

Video on the topic

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.

Even before the completion of the 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 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, its outline was on vehicle license plates 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, in celebration of its fortieth anniversary in 1949–1952, donated about two hundred pressed copper copies, 2.5 m high, to various American states and municipalities.

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.
, pp. 7–8.

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 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, 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.

The Statue of Liberty is located in the USA in New York City and is a symbol of the country. Few people know that the full name of the Statue of Liberty is “Liberty Enlightening the World.” People are more accustomed to simply calling her the “Statue of Liberty” or “Lady Liberty.” This legendary statue is a gift from France in honor of the centennial of the American Revolution, and is located on Liberty Island, a few kilometers southwest of Manhattan, in New York State. Bedloe Island was officially renamed Liberty Island thanks to the lady with the torch in 1956, although Americans began calling it that at the beginning of the 20th century.

Height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA is 93 meters along with a 47-meter pedestal. Lady Liberty stands on the broken chains. In her left hand she holds a tablet on which is engraved in Roman numerals a significant date for America - the day of signing of the US Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776, and in her right hand there is a torch that symbolizes the light illuminating the path to freedom. To ascend to the crown, visitors must climb 356 steps, where they are treated to a wonderful panorama of New York City, which they can admire directly from the main observation deck located in the crown. There are 25 windows, which are considered to be symbols of precious stones, and the 7 rays of the crown symbolize the seas and continents in accordance with the traditions of Western geography. Inside the Statue of Liberty itself is a museum dedicated to the history of the statue's creation. You can get to it by taking the elevator.

The history of the creation of the Statue of Liberty in the USA.

The author of the design of the Statue of Liberty is considered to be the French sculptor and architect Frederic Bartholdi. The French engineer Alexander Gustav Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower, took part in the creation of the frame and reinforcing structures. However, both the French and the Americans worked on the construction of the entire monument. For example, the star-shaped pedestal was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt.

Parts of the body of the future statue were cast in France, and the pedestal was created in the USA. Over the course of 4 months, the statue was put together. Bartholdi was somewhat mistaken in his calculations: as it turned out, the materials allocated for the construction of the statue were categorically insufficient, so all kinds of concerts, lotteries and charity evenings were organized, the purpose of which was to raise funds for the purchase of materials. Americans were extremely reluctant to part with their money, so American journalist Joseph Pulitzer wrote several articles in his newspaper The World, calling on the upper and middle classes of society to take part in building a symbol of US independence. His words contained such sharp criticism that it had an effect, and funds began to flow from all over the country. Through joint efforts, by the end of the summer of 1885, the entire amount was finally collected. By that time, the French had just completed their half of the work, and the finished parts of the statue were delivered to America on the frigate Isère in July 1885. The valuable cargo occupied more than 200 boxes and represented 350 body parts of Lady Liberty.

Grand opening of the statue took place on October 28, 1886 with the participation of US President Grover Cleveland. An interesting fact is that only men were present at the unveiling ceremony, despite the fact that the statue was a symbol of democracy. As an exception, only a few women were allowed onto the island, among whom was Bartholdi's wife.

Since 1924 Statue of Liberty in USA is classified as a National Monument, and the island itself has received the title of a US National Park. In 1984, the Statue of Liberty and the entire island were declared a monument of world significance by UN representatives.

Currently, the monument is illuminated with laser illumination; the statue has been restored several times, acquiring new elements, but in general its original appearance has been preserved.

To get to Lady Liberty, more than 5 million tourists take the short ferry trip each year. Entrance to the monument itself is free, but you will have to pay for the ferry. For many years The Statue of Liberty in the USA it remains a symbol of the country's independence and a calling card of New York.

Statue of Liberty in New York (New York, USA) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

Last minute tours Worldwide

Previous photo Next photo

Perhaps, not only a Native American, but also any inhabitant of our planet, when asked what is the symbol of the United States, will answer without hesitation: the Statue of Liberty. It is no coincidence that we see this particular monument more often than others in American cinema, and it is no coincidence that, as tourists, we buy copies of the Statue of Liberty in souvenir shops and take home.

Emphasizing the greatness of the monument, the Statue of Liberty is often compared to the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient Greek statue that has not survived to this day. Poet Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus” for the day of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. Since 1903, a special plaque with the lines of this work adorns the pedestal of the monument.

By the way, not everyone knows that the full name of the Statue of Liberty is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. The 46-meter (93-meter with pedestal) Statue of Liberty, proudly rising on the island of the same name, is a gift presented to the United States on behalf of the French people, who once supported the Americans in the struggle for independence. The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of independence and democracy was born in 1865 and belongs to the famous French scientist and lawyer Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye. The concept of the monument was developed by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.

The original model of the Statue of Liberty was made by Bartholdi in 1870; today this first copy of the legendary monument can be seen in the Luxembourg Gardens near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Place for the Statue of Liberty or interesting fact

Bartholdi chose which corner of American soil the monument would rise in. In his opinion, it was simply impossible to find a more ideal place than Bedlow Island, located 3 km southwest of the southern border of Manhattan. However, historians are lifting the curtain and revealing some secrets to us.

It turns out that Bartholdi perfectly presented his giant sculpture not only on an island near New York, but also in Port Said, located in the Suez Canal, connecting the Red and Mediterranean seas. The project “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” was not destined to come true, but Bartholdi’s work was not in vain; the sculptor successfully brought his idea into reality in the United States; moreover, the builder of the Suez Canal Lessens was put at the head of the committee for the creation of the Statue of Liberty in the United States .

A little history

The project to erect a monument on Bedloe's Island was approved by the US Congress only in 1877, and this despite the fact that, according to the French plan, the unusual gift was to be ready by the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, that is, by July 4, 1876. However, fundraising was delayed, and by this time only a copper hand with a torch was ready, which was sheltered in New York on Madison Square until work on the statue was completed. By July 1878, Lady Liberty's head was ready. At the same time, the head was presented at an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris.

It is worth noting that funds for the construction of the monument were collected in all possible ways: balls, sports competitions, exhibitions and lotteries were organized. Significant assistance in financing the construction of the monument was provided by the eloquent Pulitzer, publisher of the New-York World newspaper.

The first presentation of the finished Statue of Liberty took place on July 4, 1884 in France, after which the monument was dismantled and sent to the United States. The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York on July 17, 1885. The assembly of the monument lasted about 4 months. However, the official opening of the Statue of Liberty in New York by US President Grover Cleveland took place only on October 28, 1886. Only men were present at the opening ceremony. And this despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of democracy. As an exception, only Lessens's eight-year-old daughter and Bartholdi's wife were allowed to be on the island that day.

By the way, Bedloe Island was officially renamed Liberty Island only in 1956, although Bartholdi proposed doing this back in the 19th century, 80 years before the event.

Statue of Liberty inside and out

The Statue of Liberty is a steel frame with a total weight of 125 tons. Gustav Eiffel was invited to design and build the steel structure, and his work was continued by Maurice Koechlin. The frame is constructed in such a way that you can easily move around inside the monument and even climb the spiral staircases to the top. There are 354 steps to the main observation deck located in the crown. From there, 25 windows symbolizing precious stones offer an amazing view of New York Harbor. By the way, the seven rays of the crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents, as is commonly believed in the West.

On top of the steel skeleton is covered with copper sheets, masterfully hammered in wooden forms, with a thickness of only 2.37 mm and a total weight of 31 tons. 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 the acquisition of freedom. The plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty states the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776: JULY IV MDCCLXXVI.

The monument's pedestal was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. Work on its construction began in the summer of 1885 and was completed in April 1886. The cement base of the Statue of Liberty weighs 27 thousand tons. To get to the top of the pedestal, you need to climb 192 steps. Inside the pedestal there is a museum, which can be reached by elevator.

In 1924, the Statue of Liberty was designated a national monument, and in the 30s of the 20th century, the entire Bedlow (Liberty) Island became a national park. In 1984, the UN declared Liberty Island and the legendary monument located on it a monument of world significance.

The Statue of Liberty has been restored several times, and new lighting elements have been added. Currently, the monument is equipped with laser illumination.

Who is she - “Lady Liberty”?

Who was Bartholdi's model, whose face illuminates the world? Who was captured forever by the great sculptor in the image of the Roman Goddess Libertas? Surely, these questions are asked by both the Americans themselves and guests from all over the world.

There are two opinions on this matter. Some believe that Bartholdi captured in his work the face of the Frenchwoman Isabella Boyer, the widow of Isaac Singer. Others are of the opinion that the Statue of Liberty inherited the image of the sculptor's mother, Charlotte. Which opinion is true still remains a mystery that is unlikely to ever be solved.

How to get there

Every year, the Statue of Liberty is visited by over 4 million tourists from all over the world. Entrance to the island's National Park is free, however, to get there you will have to spend money on a ferry and also undergo a thorough search at the piers.

Ferries depart from New York. You can travel to the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park Pier in Manhattan or from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Entrance to the statue is free; for the ferry, adults will have to pay 25 USD, children 4-12 years old - 15 USD. Prices on the page are as of September 2018.