Description of the attraction
The Statue of Liberty is one of the national symbols of the United States. Standing on an island in the middle of the harbor of New York, it is familiar to the whole world.
The idea of a sculpture-gift for the centenary of the American Declaration of Independence, which was executed in 1876, was born in France. The project was undertaken by the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, funds for the creation of the monument were collected by subscription. To determine the location of the sculpture, Bartholdi traveled to the United States and chose Bedlow Island in New York Harbor - Fort Wood was located on it since 1811, which became part of the foundation of the statue.
Design and installation of the monument
Bartholdi designed the monument in the form of a colossal figure of the Roman goddess of freedom with a torch in her right hand raised. In her left hand, Liberty holds the tablets on which the date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence is carved. The head is crowned with a diadem with seven rays - a symbol of the continents (the Western geographical tradition distinguishes seven continents of the Earth).
The construction of the 46-meter-high statue became an engineering challenge. Bartholdi assembled a figure from sheets of copper 2.57 millimeters thick, minted using wooden molds. The weight of these copper sheets alone was 31 tons. The steel support structure inside the figure, designed with the assistance of Gustave Eiffel (author of the Eiffel Tower), weighs an additional 125 tons.
They did not manage to erect the monument to the centenary of the Declaration of Independence - the seventies of the 19th century were marked by an economic depression in the United States, the construction of the pedestal (the American side was responsible for it) was delayed. Things changed for the better when journalist and publisher Joseph Pulitzer promised to publish the name of anyone who donates any amount to the project. Money flowed, among them was, for example, one dollar donated by a group of children who refused to attend the circus for this. Money came from lotteries, boxing matches and donation boxes in bars.
On June 17, 1885, the French military frigate Ysere delivered the dismantled statue to the port of New York - hundreds of ships greeted it at sea. On October 28, 1886, the statue was inaugurated - this event was marked by a grand parade across the city.
Free America symbol
The sculpture quickly gained immense popularity: she was depicted on coins, posters, she became the heroine of many films. In 1956 Bedlow Island was renamed Liberty Island. In 2011, a large-scale reconstruction of the monument began, and a year later it was opened to the public, but the next day, Hurricane Sandy dealt a terrible blow to the island: a stormy wind destroyed engineering systems, demolished sidewalks. On Independence Day 2013 (4th July), the island and the statue were rediscovered.
Tourists arrive here by ferry. If you book your tickets in advance, you can climb to the observation deck in the crown. It offers stunning views of Manhattan and New York Harbor. The words of the sonnet "New Colossus" by the poetess Emma Lazarus are engraved on a bronze plate attached to the wall of the museum in the pedestal of the statue:
“… And give me from the depths of the bottomless
Your outcasts, your people downtrodden, Send me the outcast, the homeless
I give them a golden candle at the door!"
(Translated by Vladimir Lazaris)
On a note
- Location: Liberty Island, Manhattan, New York City,
- Nearest tube stations are Bowling Green Lines 4 and 5, South Ferry Lines 1 or Whitehall St. lines N and R.
- Official website:
- Opening Hours: Visits to Liberty Island are permitted from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm.
