Statue of Liberty. Where is the Statue of Liberty located and how was it created? Where is the Statue of Liberty in New York? What's inside the Statue of Liberty

15.05.2009

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as Lady Liberty or the Statue of Liberty, was built by Frenchman Frederick Auguste Bartholdi and given as a gift by French citizens to Americans. She is a symbol of friendship, freedom and peace.

A Brief History of the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, rising 46 meters into the sky, is perhaps the most popular monument in the world. In 1924 it was declared a national monument. The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island (until 1956 Bedloe's Island), where it was inaugurated on October 28, 1886 by American President Grover Cleveland.

Liberty Island is located in the upper part of New York Bay, at the mouth of the Hudson River. Its area is about 10 acres.

Built by Frenchman Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the Liberty Enlightening the World statue was given by the French to the Americans in honor of the 100th anniversary of American independence and as a sign of friendship between these countries.

Work on the statue began in France in 1875 and was completed in 1884. Before the statue was sent to New York in 1885, it had to be dismantled.

Facts about the Statue of Liberty

The real name of the statue of the Statue of Liberty is “Liberty Enlightening the World.”

In addition to this name, she was given the affectionate nickname “Lady Liberty.”

The height of the statue reaches 46 meters.

The statue was built from copper sheets mounted on a metal frame.

Freedom Enlightening the World was created using 300 sheets of copper attached to each other, and it weighed 225 tons.

At the very beginning, the statue was not green, it turned green due to atmospheric conditions, the main one being acid rain.

The statue represents a woman standing upright in flowing clothes, wearing a crown with seven teeth on her head.

The seven-pronged crown is believed to symbolize the seven continents or seven seas.

In her right hand, high above her head, Lady Liberty holds a torch, and in her left hand she presses a sign to her body.

The inscription on the plaque reads: "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI", which means "July 4, 1776" - the date of the signing of the Treaty of Independence of the United States of America.

The exact height of the statue is 151 feet and one inch, but for convenience it is usually written "151 feet" or "152 feet", which is approximately 46 meters.

The statue's pedestal (pedestal and base in the shape of a star with 11 rays) is 154 feet (about 47 meters).

In 1984, the statue underwent a complete renovation process and was then reinstalled in its original location by July 4, 1986.

During the renovation, 1,350 heavily rusted iron strips were replaced with stainless steel strips.

The torch we see today is not the historical torch from 1886. It was replaced during the 1984-86 renovation as its restoration was considered inappropriate. The original torch was modified quite extensively in 1916. Today this torch is displayed in a museum located inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.

On the plaque, which is located in the statue museum, are written lines from the sonnet “The New Colossus” by American poet Emma Lazarus:
“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...”

Liberty Island is located closer to New Jersey than New York (but it is part of New York).

Liberty Island has a very colorful past, its owners were the British, the French, and the Americans. Today the island is owned by the federal government and managed by the National Park Service.

The massive steel frame of the Statue of Liberty was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Gustav Eiffel is the same architect who designed the world famous Paris Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel).

The base of the pedestal is made in the form of a star with 11 rays.

The following coins were minted with the image of the Statue of Liberty: November 11, 1922 - a 15-cent coin; June 24, 1954 - 3 cent coin; April 9, 1954 - 8 cent coin and June 11, 1961 - 11 cent coin.

On the New York 25 cent coin minted in
2001, depicts the Statue of Liberty with the words “Gateway to Freedom.”

Until 1956, Liberty Island was called Bedloe's.

The plinth for Lady Liberty was designed by Richard Morris Hunt.

On the second floor of the statue's pedestal, the American Immigration Museum was founded in 1972.

To reach the top of the statue, you need to climb 354 steps of a spiral staircase (not open to the general public).

The crown of the statue can also be reached by elevator (closed to the general public).

Since September 11, 2001, access to Liberty Island was closed to the public, but in December of the same year it was reopened.

Visitors only have access to the museum and the 10-story pedestal.

At this time, the inside of the statue remains closed to the public, but through the glass separator you can see the remarkable iron frame created by Gustav Eiffel.

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// 07.09.2009

The Great Barrier Reef is renowned around the world for its beauty and diversity of marine life. Without a doubt, it is one of the most amazing wonders of the world! Located just off the coast of Queensland in North-East Australia, this beautiful

Greetings to the readers of our portal! With this next article we will try to return to the description of the most interesting and juicy places on our planet after a long break. The choice of an object for the next review did not take long - the sorted list of 8 wonders of the world stood for too long without its candidate. Today we are reviewing the Statue of Liberty in the USA. A symbol in the monument to democracy and freedom of all the United States of America.

The Statue of Liberty (in English Statue of Liberty), also known as “Liberty Enlightening the World” or “Lady Liberty” is a symbol of freedom and democracy in the United States, a giant colossal statue made in the style of neoclassicism. The statue is located on Liberty Island, located 3 kilometers southwest of Manhattan Island. The special value of the statue was recognized by the world community - in 1984 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. We could not pass by such an object of human heritage.

Description of the statue

The giant Statue of Liberty stands on a pedestal. In her right hand she holds a torch, in her left - a tablet. The inscription on the tablet shows the date of adoption of the US Declaration of Independence (Roman numerals - JULY IV MDCCLXXVI, July 4, 1776 in our style). One naga steps on the broken shackles.

Tablet of the Statue of Liberty

To climb to the top of the statue and its crown, you need to walk 356 steps. You can shorten this excursion by climbing only the pedestal - 192 steps. In addition to the spiral staircase inside the structure, the visitor can also use the elevator.

View inside

There is a crown on the head of the statue. Its 25 windows symbolize “earthly precious stones and heavenly rays illuminating the world” - exactly which sources are not named, but it sounds at least funny. But with the rays of the crown, everything is already simpler - there are 7 of them, and they, in turn, symbolize the seven seas and continents. It is worth noting that in the Western world it is generally accepted that there are 7 continents. They don’t say whether this symbolism was invented before or after the creation of the statue, but the general idea of ​​the crown is a little strange.

The total height of the statue is 93 meters, the net height of the statue without a pedestal is 46 meters. The manufacturing process used 31 tons of copper, 125 tons of steel and 27,000 tons of pedestal concrete.

Thin sheets of copper, 2.57 mm thick, were minted in wooden molds. They were used to create the actual figure of the statue. To secure the entire structure inside the statue, there is a steel frame embedded in concrete.

Now the highest point of the statue accessible to tourists, the crown, offers a magnificent view of New York Harbor. The pedestal houses a history museum, and Liberty Island itself (Liberty Island, or until 1956 Bedlow Island) is also recognized as a national monument.

View from the crown

Statue of Liberty in stark numbers

A little history of the statue: the beginning

The history of the Statue of Liberty begins with the most famous fact - the statue is a gift from France to the United States in honor of the centennial of American independence. But how everything went from the origin of the idea to the situation of modern days - read below.

The idea of ​​​​creating the statue belongs to the French thinker, writer and politician Edouard Rene Lefebvre. Being the president of the anti-slavery society in France, he was very impressed by the victory in the American Civil War of the fighters against the slave system. According to the testimony of the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, this idea appeared to Lefebvre in 1865.

The existing policy of Napoleon III did not allow such a project to be undertaken. Therefore, progress resumed only at the end of the 1860s. The sculptor Bartholdi had ideas for creating a majestic colossus before. The project was originally proposed for Egypt, but budgets did not support the transportation and installation of the statue. The 100th anniversary of independence in the United States was another excellent occasion to create a high-level project.

The project has begun to move. According to the agreement, France was to create the sculpture itself, and the United States was to create the pedestal. Bartholdi acted as a sculptor. But to create such a massive structure, the help of a great engineer was required - Gustave Eiffel, the future creator of the legendary Eiffel Tower, was invited to take his place.

From the first showings to the opening

Work in Bartholdi's workshop was in full swing. Already in May 1876, at the World Exhibition in Philadelphia, the right hand of the future statue with a torch was shown. They charged 50 cents to visit this impressive structure (not bad money in those days). The hand itself made a huge impression on visitors to the exhibition. In order not to lead the hand back to France after the exhibition, it was placed in New York's Madison Square Garden.

At the World Exhibition of 1876

But the process of creating the statue was not without problems - there was not enough finance. To solve this problem, charitable donations, entertainment events, lotteries, theatrical performances, exhibitions, auctions, and boxing fights were held.

The publisher of the World newspaper, Joseph Pulitzer, played a special role in fundraising. A man who has made a career from a newspaper delivery man, a journalist of small articles to the owner of a publishing house - surely he should not understand the current thoughts of the people. Campaigning to raise funds for a new material embodiment of the American idea and dream did not last long - after only 5 months of work, the funds were collected. The contribution of this man is difficult to overestimate; the Pulitzer Prize is still one of the most prestigious awards among journalists.

Working in the workshop

While the statue was being made, an act of Congress in 1877, General William Sherman approved the location of the future statue - Bedloe's Island. The process of choosing a location was not complete without the sculptor’s recommendations. The location was not chosen by chance - at the mouth of the Hudson, near Ellis Island, the place where all newly arrived future US citizens arrived, the place where their initial registration took place.

Construction of the pedestal began on August 5, 1885 - on this day the first stone was laid here. The project architect is Richard Morris. Less than a year later - April 22, 1886 - the pedestal was already completed. Additionally, 2 lintels made of steel beams were built into the masonry, which are connected by anchor beams that go upward as part of the steel frame of the statue. Thus, the pedestal and the statue are one whole, a solid, massive, strong structure.

The Statue of Liberty was completed back in 1884, and on June 17, 1885, it was delivered to New York Harbor. For transportation, it was previously disassembled into 350 parts and packed into 214 boxes. Note that the assembly process itself took another 4 months. This is a real designer for great people.

The grand opening of the statue took place on October 28, 1886. The discovery was delayed from the idea for 10 years. US President Grover Cleveland also took part in this ceremony, who uttered a phrase that went down in history:

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

After opening

Previously, Fort Wood was built at the location of the statue (built for the War of 1812, of course, not with Napoleon), shaped like a five-pointed star. In the center of it, on a pedestal, the statue was installed. On October 15, 1924, Fort Wood and the statue were declared a national monument. And later the entire island fell under the area of ​​the national monument.

Early Fort Wood slums

Even later, neighboring Ellis Island was also included here, where at first the immigration center was located, where all new arrivals to the country were registered.

View from the ship upon arrival in New York

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan plans to restore the monument, slightly tired from time to time. The event raises $87 million. Immediately at the beginning of restoration in 1984, the statue was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. On July 5, 1986, it again became open to visitors.

Restoration of the Statue

Back in 1916, the staircase to the torch was closed for safety reasons. During the restoration in 1986, the torch was replaced with a new one, plated with 24-karat gold. The old torch was placed near the pedestal. But still, the exit to the crown remains the most accessible point for the visitor.

Old torch

Everyone remembers September 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The statue and the island were immediately closed to visitors; it was impossible to risk visitors - after all, this is a symbol of all of America. Since then, access to the statue has been made more difficult. It was possible to get to the island from the end of 2001, to the pedestal only from August 4, 2004. From July 4, 2009, President Barack Obama opened access to the statue, but with restrictions on the number of visitors per day.

The next installation of new elevators and stairs took place from October 29, 2011 to October 28, 2012. Full access up to the crown has now been resumed.

The statue is the national symbol of the United States. This legendary Lady can be found on everything that is associated with America - money, makri, postcards, souvenirs. But what’s even more interesting is that there are copies of the statue all over the world. Here are just a few of them.

Since 1984, the Statue of Liberty has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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  The sculpture was 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 “English. JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (written in Roman numerals for the date "July 4, 1776"), this date is the day of the United States Declaration of Independence. “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

  Sculpture parts	Meters
  Height from ground to top of torch	93 m
  Statue height	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	10.67 m
  Mouth width	0.91 m
  Sign height	7.19 m
  Sign width	4.14 m
  Plaque thickness	0.61 m
  Height from ground to top of pedestal	46.94 m

  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 Frederic-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 briefly managed to interest the ruler of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, in the construction of a huge statue reminiscent of 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 copper supplies from Russia was verified by enthusiasts, but was not confirmed. In addition, the railways in Ufa and Nizhny Tagil were built after construction; Accordingly, the version of ore supplies cannot be taken seriously. 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, which was attended 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.”

  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 inscribed on 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. 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 NHL's New York Rangers' alternate jerseys since 1997. The National Collegiate Athletic Association used the statue as its logo for the 1996 Men's Basketball Finals. 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 of the quarter size of the original, donated to the city of Paris by the American Society, is installed 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.

  see also

  • Statue of Liberty in Moscow (1918-1941).

  Other Tallest Sculptures

  Notes

  1. Statue of Liberty (in NYC).

  On the day of Satanic Halloween celebrated in the West, 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 unveiled in New York on October 28, 1886. What is it dedicated to and who does it represent?

  This is what our article is about.

  Official story

  The sculpture was 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 of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. “Freedom” has 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: 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 ground to top of 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 10.67 m
  • Mouth width 0.91 m
  • Sign height 7.19 m
  • Sign width 4.14 m
  • Plaque thickness 0.61 m
  • The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.
  • The total weight of 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 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, was subsequently administered by New York, and is currently under federal administration. Until 1956, the island was called “Bedloe’s Island,” although it was also called “Liberty Island” since the beginning of the 20th century.

  In 1883, American poet Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus,” dedicated to the Statue of Liberty. 20 years later, in 1903, it was engraved on a bronze plate and mounted on the wall in the museum, located in 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 the Russian translation by V. Lazaris:

  “To you, ancient lands,” she shouts, silent
  Without opening my lips, I live in empty luxury,
  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!”

  In a translation closer to the text:

  “Leave, O ancient lands, the praise of centuries to yourself!”
  Calls silently. "Give me your tired people,
  All those longing to breathe freely, abandoned in need,
  From the narrow shores of the persecuted, the poor and the 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 the 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 a non-existent American nation? It is not customary to talk about the true origin and ordeal of the sculpture, about its origins originating in incompatible cultures or about the financial side of the “lady’s” existence. The fable of a gift in honor of the friendship between France and the United States travels around the world as traditionally as the ruddy Santa Claus - another child of commerce. But we will still turn a few pages of history back and see how everything really happened.

  http://gorod.tomsk.ru/uploads/34046/1285938582/126088911.jpg

  The idea of ​​​​creating the statue belongs to Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - if you can call the idea of ​​​​creating an unoriginal monument that can only boast of 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 filled with ambitious plans. To get out into the world, 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, steles, all-seeing eye, etc. also decorate various government buildings in the United States. 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)”).

  
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  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 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 had survived thousands of years. Thus the idea was born in his head to create something equally colossal and impressive that would forever immortalize his name. Meeting with the head of the construction, Ferdinand Lesseps, Frederick convinced him to petition for 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 tall as the Great Sphinx and serve as a lighthouse.

  Bartholdi decided not to wait for the muse, but to whip up some kind of model for consideration by the local government (it was he who was credited with the supposed funding of the project). And there was no need to invent anything - this was already done by the ancient Greeks, who created the Colossus of Rhodes - one of the seven wonders of the world - around 280 BC. This huge statue of an athletic youth, looking out to sea, was erected at the entrance to the harbor of the island of Rhodes and was subsequently partially destroyed by an earthquake.

  
  http://iknowit.ru/image_base/2010/pimg_1062_1306.jpg

  Bartholdi “dressed” the model in Egyptian clothing, 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 subsequently the sun.

  Notes in the margins

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  Mithra is the Indo-Iranian god of light and 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. Mithra became the god of friendship, who united, reconciled, protected, and enriched people. He was depicted as a young man in short, flowing clothes and a Phrygian cap. The cult of Mithra at the beginning of our era spread throughout the Roman Empire, enjoyed the patronage of emperors, and was later supplanted by Christianity.

  Special photo of the head of the Statue of Liberty at the World's Fair in Paris in 1878. http://gorod.tomsk.ru/uploads/34046/1285959951/45270518_Exposition_Paris_1878.jpg

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

  The Sun God was revered throughout the Roman Empire. This is evidenced even today by four hundred places of sacrifice that have been preserved from those times. The god Mithra was especially revered by ordinary people who performed cult 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 a symbol of the USA http://geo-politica.info/upload/editor/news/2015.12/567f624427790_1451188804.jpg

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

  Thus the statue received a torch and a seven-rayed crown from the god Mithras, although there is another deity that looks similar. Have you started thinking about the title: “Progress Bringing Light to Asia”? Or replace “progress” with “Egypt”? And then we remembered the popular painting in France “Freedom on the Barricades” by the romantic painter Eugene Delacroix. The word “freedom” was already temptingly attached to the statue project, but the government refused to spend money on a gigantic idol - so Bartholdi returned to France empty-handed.

  French incarnation

  
  Eugene Delacroix “Freedom on the Barricades” http://iknowit.ru/image_base/2010/pimg_1063_1306.jpg

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

  And 1876 was approaching - the centenary of American independence. Having heard complaints in a political circle 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 Laboulaye, decided to revive the project that had failed in Egypt. All this, of course, had to be correctly presented to the masses: it was decided to “donate” the statue to the States “as a sign of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”

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  But the “gift” had to be paid for - both by French and overseas ordinary citizens. An entire Franco-American Union, headed by Laboulaye, was urgently established, and committees were organized in both countries to organize fundraising. Moreover, the head of the French headquarters was none other than our old friend - Ferdinand Lesseps! The fundraising campaign in the States was led by Joseph Pulitzer, later known as the creator of the most prestigious journalism award, and then also the publisher of the New York World newspaper. With an understanding of all the subtleties of influencing the masses, he criticized rednecks and moneybags, turning to ordinary Americans (the businessman was no mistake - this significantly increased the circulation of his newspaper). No one will tell us exactly how much money the friendly gentlemen laundered through this good cause, but in the USA alone, $100,000 was withdrawn from circulation in this way.

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

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

  
  French engineer Gustav Alexandre Eiffel (left) and Auguste Bartholdi (right) http://gorod.tomsk.ru/uploads/34046/1285959951/29.jpg

  Eiffel made all the calculations and also designed the iron support of the monument and the supporting frame, which was then covered with metal sheets. Then Bartholdi took up the matter again, and added several modern details: at the feet of the statue he placed “broken chains of tyranny,” more like the chains with which the statue itself was bound.

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

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

  Isabella Boyer
  Statue of Liberty(English Statue of Liberty, full name - Liberty Enlightening the World) - one of the most famous sculptures in the USA and in the world, often called the “symbol of New York and the USA”, “symbol of freedom and democracy ", "Lady Liberty". This is a gift from French citizens for the centennial of the American Revolution.
  
  

  Location

  The Statue of Liberty is located in New York, on Liberty Island, which is located three kilometers southwest of the coast of Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French for the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution, was made in France in 1884 and transported to America in parts. The opening of the statue took place on October 28, 1886, ten years late to the originally planned date.

  Description of the object

  

  
  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 indicates the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

  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.

  
  

  
  

  History of origin

  
  The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to create the statue. It was intended as a gift for the centennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. According to one version, Bartholdi even had a French model: the beautiful, recently widowed Isabella Boyer, wife of Isaac Singer, the creator and entrepreneur in the field of sewing machines.

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

  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.

  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. The copper for the statue was purchased from existing stocks in the warehouses of the Société des métaux company of 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 copper supplies from Russia was verified by enthusiasts, but was not confirmed. In addition, the railways in Ufa and Nizhny Tagil were built after construction; Accordingly, the version of ore supplies cannot be taken seriously. It is also noteworthy that the concrete base under the statue is made of German cement. The Dickerhoff company won a tender to supply cement for the construction of the foundation of the Statue of Liberty in New York, which at that time was the largest concrete structure in the world.

  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, problems with financing 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. Two square lintels made of steel beams are built into the massive masonry of the pedestal; 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 in 1876, 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, which was attended by US President Grover Cleveland, took place on October 28, 1886 in the presence of thousands of spectators. As a French gift for the centennial of the American Revolution, it was ten years late.

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

  
  Operating mode

  Visiting hours for Liberty Island and Ellis Island are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with extended hours during the summer months)

  How to get there

  The entrance to Liberty Island Park itself is free, but tourists will have to fork out a little for the ferry. Ferries go to this island, and at the same time to Ellis Island, from two piers - from Battery Park in Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in Jersey City on the other side one of New York Bay. Moreover, upon boarding, passengers undergo a thorough search, similar to what is available at airports around the world.

  
  

  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 America laughed at the war with Great Britain. The monument was conceived as a gift frommany freedom-loving peopleto another, but also to anotherThe Ricans contributed to the creation of the masterpiece - the pedestal of the statue was made in the USA.

  Loubetter than pObetter than ever

  The statue could well have ended up in Egypt instead of New York, because the author of the monument had such plans. It was supposed to be installed as a gig nt lighthouse at the entrance to the Suez Canal in the city of Port Said. Butachieve agreement on this project and failed.

  Creative duet

  The author of the Statue of Liberty is the architect Frederic Bartholdi. But another famous Frenchman, engineer Alexander Gustave Eiffel, creator of the Eiffel Tower, also worked on the monument. Bartholdi was responsible for the appearance of the statue, while Eiffel designed the iron shell and frame.
  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 Isere. The complexity of the operation also 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 Liberty, according to art historians, was the famous French model Isabella Boyer, the widow of Isaac Singer, the founder of a sewing machine manufacturing company. Frederic Bartholdi imbued Lady Liberty with iconic details. Thus, 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 widespread spread of freedom.
  
  

  Bird's-eye

  To climb to the observation deck located inside the crown, visitors will have to climb 192 steps to the top of the pedestal and 356 steps inside the monument. The reward for your efforts will be a magnificent view of the New York coastline. 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 Bedlow's Island, on which the monument stands. 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 without borders

  Replicas of the Statue of Liberty can be found in many cities around the world. Only in Paris are four smaller replicas of the famous Lady Liberty installed. Tokyo, Las Vegas, Lvov, Uzhgorod, Dnepropetrovsk have their own Freedom.
  
  

  Time is money

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

  

  
  

  The color of history

  The Statue of Liberty often appears in various films. The creators of Titanic also filmed 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

  Features of the Statue of Liberty Today the Statue of Liberty is one of the national symbols of the United States. Rising at the mouth of the Hudson at the entrance to New York Harbor, a woman in graceful, flowing robes carrying a torch personifies the freedom and opportunity of the country. On her head she wears a crown with seven teeth, representing the seven seas and seven continents. At the woman's feet are the torn shackles of tyranny. In the woman's left hand she holds a slab with the date of the American Declaration of Independence inscribed on it - July 4, 1776. The statue was made from thin sheets of copper hammered into wooden molds. The formed sheets were then installed on a steel frame. The height of the Statue (by the way, it was originally called more pathetically - “Freedom, bringing light to the world”) is 46 meters, so, if we also take into account the 47-meter pedestal, the top of the torch is at a height of 93 meters above the ground. The weight of the monument is 205 tons. The length of the right hand, in which the torch is held, is 12.8 meters, with the index finger alone having a length of 2.4 meters, the width of the mouth is 91 centimeters. A spiral staircase inside the statue leads tourists to the top. The statue is usually open to visitors, who usually arrive by ferry. The crown, accessible by stairs, offers expansive views of New York Harbor. In 1972, the Museum of the Settlement of America was opened inside the Statue itself, which can be reached by a special elevator. The entire history of the country is presented here: from the ancestors - the Indians who inhabited the then unknown continent, and right up to the mass migration in the present century. Opinions about the Statue of Liberty are completely contradictory. Nothing like this had been seen in America before the construction of this sculpture. Connoisseurs noted the high technique of execution, the clarity of proportions and the grace of lines. But opponents of those who recognized the Freedom Monument as the eighth wonder of the world noted that the symbol of Freedom in the form of a statue is interpreted too coldly and dispassionately. It is no coincidence that the epithet appeared that Freedom is “blind”, and greatness is conveyed only by large sizes. However, evil tongues are not a hindrance to Freedom. All over the world, the Statue is considered a symbol of the United States, embodying the democratic principles of which this country is so proud.

  Conclusion

  The history of the Statue of Liberty and the island where where she stands -this is a story of change. The statue wouldla placed on grathread pedestal inside Fort Wood, built for the war 1812 , the walls of which are laid out in the shape of a star. The U.S. Lighthouse Service was responsible for maintaining the statue until 1901. After 1901, this mission was assigned 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.

  October 28, 1936, at the 50th anniversary of the statue's unveiling, 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.”
  
  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 its restoration work, the Statue of Liberty was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. On July 5, 1986, the restored Statue of Liberty was reopened to the public during Liberty Weekend celebrating her centennial.