It's no secret that the Statue of Liberty is the most popular attraction in the United States. The statue was discovered in 1886, which was accompanied by cannon shots, a siren and fireworks. Since then, the legendary monument meets ships entering the port of New York and receives tourists from all over the world.
A bit of history
Not everyone knows that the Statue of Liberty in the USA is the work of French masters. The sculpture was made exactly in Paris, then disassembled and transported across the Atlantic to America, where it was reassembled and installed on a powerful base. The habitat of the attraction is Liberty Island, located off the coast of New Jersey.
The idea of creating such a statue belongs to Eduard de Laboulaye. To bring it to life helped no one at that time the not-known sculptor Frederic-Opost Bartholdy. The young man decided to design a huge lighthouse in the form of a woman with a torch in her hands. It was the torch that, according to the idea, will light the way for sailors. It is interesting that this lighthouse was supposed to appear on the Suez Canal, but the idea was abandoned, and the young Bartholdi decided to join the idea of Eduard de Laboulaye.
The prototype of the Statue of Liberty was the image of freedom from the famous painting of Delacroix. According to another version, Bartholdi had a model, Isabella, the wife of a famous American businessman.
The famous engineer Gustav Eiffel (author of the Eiffel Tower in Paris) also worked on the creation of the statue . The engineer developed an ingenious metal frame structure that was supported by a central pillar. Bartoldi first built a small figure and then made a few more, making a new one larger than the previous one. This lasted until he reached the best option.
America and France agreed to create special funds for donations for the construction of the pedestal and the establishment of the Statue. So, the Statue of Liberty was completed in the summer of 1884, and a little less than a year later it was delivered to America. It took the workers 4 months to unpack the monument. At the opening of the monument was attended by thousands of Americans and visitors.
In 1984, the attraction was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Statue of Liberty in New York: features
Today, the Statue is rightfully considered the national symbol of the United States. A graceful woman carrying a torch is the embodiment of America's freedom and capabilities. On her head she has a crown, seven prongs of which designate seven seas and continents. In the legs are torn fettles testifying to the liberation from tyranny, in the left hand is a plate with the date of the declaration of independence of America.
The Statue of Liberty is made of the finest sheets of copper, which, after being formed in wooden forms, were mounted on a steel frame.
The height of the monument is 46 meters plus 47 meters of the pedestal. So, it rises 93 meters above ground level. The statue weighs more than 200 tons.
Inside there is a spiral staircase leading tourists to the top. Typically, the Statue of Liberty is open to guests arriving here by ferry. The crown offers gorgeous views of the harbor and the city.
The Statue also has a museum in which tourists can get acquainted with the whole history of the country: from Indians to mass resettlement.
There are many different opinions about the monument, which contradict both each other and common sense. The thing is that before the erection of the statue, the Americans did not see anything like it. So, while the connoisseurs noted the high technique of execution and graceful lines, their opponents believed that the image of Freedom in the image of the monument is interpreted very coldly, and greatness indulges in the enormously large size of the structure.
Nevertheless, despite popular rumor, the Statue of Liberty is considered the "eighth wonder of the world", which embodies the democratic principles that underlie American life.