How old is the statue of liberty. The main symbol of America - the Statue of Liberty in New York

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

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

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

Pictured: Alexander Gustav Eiffel

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

Another interesting fact is that a wind of 100 km/h causes the monument to sway 7.62 cm, while the torch will sway 12.7 cm. Cleveland delivered the following speech:

"We will always remember that Liberty has chosen this place as her home, and oblivion will never cover her altar."

The Statue of Liberty or, as it is also called, Lady Liberty, has symbolized the spread of freedom and democracy for many years. A striking symbol of liberation is the trampling of broken fetters by the statue. Impressive structure located on the mainland North America in New York, invariably appears to the eyes of all its guests and gives the most unforgettable experience.

Creation of the Statue of Liberty

The monument went down in history as a gift to the United States from the French government. According to the official version, this event took place in honor of America's celebration of 100 years since independence, and also as a sign of friendship between the two states. The author of the project was the leader of the French anti-slavery movement Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Labuela.

Work on the creation of the statue began in 1875 in France and was completed in 1884. They were headed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a talented French sculptor. It was this outstanding person who for 10 years created the future symbol of freedom on a global scale in his art studio.

The work was carried out in collaboration with the best minds of France. Gustave Eiffel, developer of the creation project eiffel tower, took part in the creation of the design of the internal steel frame famous statue. The work was continued by one of his assistants, engineer Maurice Kehlin.

The solemn ceremony of presenting the French gift to American colleagues was scheduled for July 1876. An obstacle to the implementation of the plan was a banal lack of funds. US President Grover Cleveland was able to accept in a solemn ceremony a gift from the French government only 10 years later. The date of the ceremonial handover of the Statue was October 1886. Bedloe Island has been designated as the location for the historic ceremony. After 70 years, it received the name "Island of Freedom".

Description of the legendary landmark

The Statue of Liberty is on the list of the world's most famous masterpieces. Her right hand proudly raises a torch, while the left shows a tablet with inscriptions. The inscription indicates the date major event for all the American people - Independence Day of the United States of America.

The dimensions of Lady Liberty are impressive. Its height from the ground to the top of the torch is 93 meters. Head size - 5.26 meters, nose length - 1.37 m, eyes - 0.76 m, arms - 12.8 meters, the length of each hand is 5 m. The size of the plate is 7.19 m.

Curious what the Statue of Liberty is made of. It took at least 31 tons of copper to cast her body. The entire steel structure weighs in total about 125 tons.

The 25 view windows located in the crown are a symbol of the wealth of the country. And the rays coming out of it in the amount of 7 pieces are a symbol of the seven continents and seas. In addition to this, they symbolize the expansion of freedom in all directions.

Traditionally, the location of the monument is reached by ferry. A favorite place to visit is the crown. To enjoy the local landscapes and views of the New York coast from a height, you need to climb to a special platform inside it. To this end, visitors will have to overcome a large number of steps - 192 to the top of the pedestal, and then 356 already in the body itself.

As a reward for the most persistent visitors, extensive views of New York with its picturesque surroundings open up. No less interesting is the pedestal where the museum with historical expositions located in it is located.

Little known interesting facts about the Statue of Liberty

The period of creation and subsequent existence of the monument is filled with entertaining facts and stories. Some of them are not illuminated even when tourists visit New York City.

The first name of the Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is the name by which the masterpiece is known throughout the world. At first it was known under the name "Liberty Enlightening the World" - "Freedom Enlightening the World." At first, instead of it, it was planned to erect a monument in the form of a farmer with a torch in his hand. The place of establishment was to be the territory of Egypt at the entrance to the Suez Canal. The drastically changed plans of the Egyptian government prevented this.

The prototype of the face of the Statue of Liberty

The information is widespread that the face of the Statue of Liberty is nothing more than a fiction of the author. However, two versions of its origin are known. According to the first, the face of the famous model of French origin, Isabella Boyer, became the prototype of the face. According to another, Frederick Bartholdi immortalized the face of his own mother in the monument.

Metamorphoses with color

Immediately after creation, the statue was distinguished by a bright golden-orange color. In St. Petersburg, visitors to the Hermitage can see a painting depicting it in its original form. Today the monument has acquired green color. This is due to patination, a process in which the metal acquires a blue-green hue when interacting with air. This transformation of the American symbol lasted for 25 years, which is captured in numerous photos. The copper coating of the statue naturally oxidized, which can be seen today.

"Journeys" of the head of Lady Liberty

A little-known fact: before all the pieces of the French gift were collected in New York, the Statue of Liberty had to travel around the country disassembled for some time. Her head was exhibited in one of the Philadelphia museums in 1878. The French also decided to enjoy the unprecedented spectacle before she left for her destination. In the same year, the head was put on public display at one of the Paris exhibitions.

Former record holder

In the 21st century, there are buildings that surpass the symbol of America in height and heaviness. However, during the years of the development of the project of the Statue of her concrete base was the world's largest and largest concrete structure. Outstanding records soon ceased to be such, but the monument is still associated in the world consciousness with everything majestic and new.

Twins of the Statue of Liberty

Many copies of the American symbol have been created around the world, among which several dozen can be found in the United States itself. A couple of 9-meter copies can be seen in the vicinity of New York's National Liberty Bank. Another copy, reduced to 3 meters, holding the Bible, adorns the state of California.

The official twin copy of the monument appeared in the late 80s of the XX century. The Americans presented it to the French people as a token of friendship and gratitude. Today this gift can be seen in Paris on one of the islands of the Seine rivers. The copy is reduced, however, it is able to hit others with an 11-meter height.

Residents of Tokyo, Budapest, Lvov erected their own copies of the monument.

The authorship of a copy reduced to a minimum belongs to the inhabitants of western Ukraine - the sculptor Mikhail Kolodko and the architect Alexander Bezik. You can see this masterpiece of modern art in Uzhgorod, in Transcarpathia. The comic sculpture is made of bronze, is only 30 cm high and weighs about 4 kg. Today it symbolizes the desire local population to self-expression and is known as the smallest replica in the world.

Extreme "adventures" of the monument

The Statue of Liberty has gone through a lot in its lifetime. In July 1916, a brutal terrorist attack took place in America. On the island of Liberty located near the island of Black Tom Island, explosions were heard, comparable in strength to an earthquake of about 5.5 points. Their culprits were saboteurs from Germany. During these events, the monument received severe damage to some of its parts.

In 1983, in front of a large audience, illusionist David Copperfield conducted an unforgettable experiment in the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty. The original focus was a success. The huge statue really disappeared, and the stunned audience tried in vain to find a logical explanation for what they saw. In addition to performing miracles, Copperfield surprised with a ring of light around the Statue of Liberty and another next to it.

Today, the symbol of the United States still towers majestically in the sky over New York, retains its important global significance and is the pride of the American nation. For America itself and other states, it is associated with the spread of democratic values, freedom and independence throughout the world. Since 1984, the Statue has become part of world heritage UNESCO.

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

Forty-six-meter gift

This statue is one of the seven tallest statues in the world, its height is about 93 meters. She, as it were, rises on her island, stretches out her hand holding a torch, straight into the sky. If we calculate separately the height of herself and the height of her pedestal, it turns out that the pedestal on which she rises is 47 meters, respectively, the statue itself, a gift from France, is slightly less - about 46 meters.

If you look in detail, you can also study the height of the details of the statue. The torch, which is in the right hand of the monumental goddess of Liberty, has a length of 8.8 meters.

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

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

crowned lady

Located on the head of the goddess of Liberty, it has its own original device and symbolism. There are 25 windows in the crown, which allow you to enjoy a stunning view from a height of 93 meters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Statue of Liberty in numbers

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

The most recognizable symbol of New York and the United States throughout the world is the monumental Statue of Liberty. The full name of the sculpture is "Liberty Enlightening the World" (English - Liberty Enlightening the World).

The statue rises in New York Bay, on Liberty Island, located 3 km from the south coast of the always busy Manhattan. In honor of the statue, the former Bedloe Island was popularly called back in early XIX century, it was officially renamed in 1956.

The sculptural image of the goddess of Liberty is deeply symbolic. The inscription on the tablet, which Liberty holds in her left hand: "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" - "July 4, 1776" - the official date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States. With one foot, the goddess stands on broken fetters. The Crown of Liberty has seven rays - this number echoes the number of continents and seas (seven each - according to Western geographical tradition).

Monuments-copies of the Statue of Liberty Bartholdi can now be found in different countries peace. The most famous of them are in Paris, Tokyo and Las Vegas.

Weight and height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA

According to various sources, the weight of copper in the statue is from 27.22 to 31 tons, the weight steel structure- 113.4-125 tons. The total weight of the Statue of Liberty exceeds 200 tons.

The height of the Statue of Liberty in New York is 93 meters, it includes a concrete and steel pedestal and a 46-meter female figure with a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left.

There is an elevator inside the pedestal. To climb to the crown of Liberty from the level of her feet, it is necessary to overcome 377 steps.

Contrary to popular belief, the Statue of Liberty in the United States is not one of the ten tallest monuments in the world in terms of its height. However, taking into account the pedestal, it takes 6-8th place in the list of the largest monuments (depending on classification), is the tallest statue in the United States.

History of the Statue of Liberty

France is the country that donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States on the centenary of the American Revolution.

Copper neoclassical sculpture designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi. The supporting structure was carefully thought out by Gustave Eiffel and his assistant engineer Maurice Koechlin. According to the agreement, the monument was erected by the American side according to the project of R. M. Hunt.

The site for the monument in New York Harbor was approved by Congress in 1877, taking into account the wishes of the sculptor Bartholdi, who chose the island, past which all ships sailed to New York.

For a number of reasons, the statue was installed later than the anniversary date. Funding problems were relevant for both countries. To attract investors, the right hand torch was first completed: they were exhibited in 1876 at the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876, and then exhibited in New York's Madison Square.

The French part of the monument - the figure of Liberty - was completed in 1884. The frigate Ysere delivered the statue to New York on June 17, 1885. 350 constituent parts of the future design were packed in 214 boxes. It took about 4 months to assemble.

The opening of the Statue of Liberty on October 28 was accompanied by a solemn parade through the streets of New York. The ceremony on the island was attended by senior politicians chaired by US President Steven Grover Cleveland. The builders laid the first stone of the pedestal on August 5, 1885. To strengthen the structure, steel lintels and upward anchor beams (similar to the frame of the Eiffel Tower) were built into the masonry for mounting the statue.

A green coating characteristic of copper has been covering the statue since about 1900, natural oxidation protects the metal from atmospheric influences.

Since 1933, the statue has been administered by the US National Park Service (NPS).

During the Second World War, the landmark-symbol remained open to tourists, but was not illuminated at night. On the day of the successful Normandy operation on June 6, 1944, the lights of the lighthouse statue transmitted the message of victory (letter V in Morse code).

In 1946, the inside of the statue was covered within reach of visitors with a special plastic from which the inscriptions can be easily washed off.

The original torch of the Statue of Liberty is now in the museum inside the pedestal. As you know, it was badly damaged as a result of an explosion on the Black Tom Peninsula in 1916, later modernized, but still required restoration, because water began to penetrate into the monument through it. As part of a large-scale restoration in 1984, the torch was replaced with its exact historical copy: it reflects Sun rays during the day and illuminated by spotlights at night.

The American Statue of Liberty was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984 as "a masterpiece of the human spirit, a powerful symbol of peace, human rights, the abolition of slavery, global democracy and opportunity."

In a restored form, the statue became available to visitors in 1886. A second temporary closure occurred shortly after the September 11 attacks until the end of 2001, but the pedestal only became available in August 2004. Later, the monument was closed to visitors twice: for the period of installation of new elevators (for a year from October 2011), due to the suspension of the government (October 1-13, 2013).

How to get there

Entrance to national park Liberty Island is free, but access to it is possible only by ferry, for a trip on which you need to pay a fixed amount. The route also covers Ellis Island, which is now home to the Immigration Museum. The piers of the island are closed to private vessels.

Special cruise ferries (Statue Cruises ferries) run daily (except December 25), departing from two berths: from Manhattan's Battery Park and from Liberty State Park to Jersey City (New Jersey). The first ferry to the island departs at 9:30, the last at 15:30.

The cost of a ferry ticket to the Statue of Liberty: for adults and children from 13 years old - $ 18.5, for children 4-12 years old - $ 9, for the elderly (from 62 years old) - $ 14, children under 4 years old - free of charge. It is recommended to book tickets in advance - on the official website of the ferry company (so that the site is available - the entrance is anonymous). You can also check additional rates on the US National Parks website.

Statue of Liberty webcams

New York webcams overlooking the Statue of Liberty view the main monument from different angles — great way view the attraction in absentia.

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