What is the Statue of Liberty made of? Statue of Liberty (USA): photos and reviews The symbol of which country is the Statue of Liberty.

Where is the Statue of Liberty?

Statue of Liberty it is one of the most famous, well-known symbols of American freedom. It is located on Liberty Island in the middle of the Hudson River in New York, USA.

What was the Statue of Liberty built in honor of?

The Statue of Liberty, its official name is “Liberty, Lights the World”, also has another affectionate name as “Lady Liberty”, which has become one of the symbols of freedom and democracy. The classic appearance of the statue is a prototype of the ancient Rome statue of the Goddess of Liberty, which was built against oppression of the people and tyranny.

Height of the Statue of Liberty?

The Statue of Liberty is a figure of a woman holding a torch. The statue is made of pure copper, which is mounted on a steel base, which in turn is covered with gold leaf. It stands on top of a rectangular stone pedestal in the shape of an irregular star. The statue has a height of 46 meters, if you add the pedestal and foundation, you get 93 meters. The face of the Statue of Liberty is 2.4 meters high. The Statue of Liberty weighs over 225 tons.

What's inside the Statue of Liberty?

Inside the statue there is a staircase with 354 steps that goes to its top. There are 25 viewing windows on its crown. The seven rays of freedom in the crown of the statue symbolize the seven continents of the world and the seven seas. His torch signifies enlightenment. The tablet in the hand of the Statue of Liberty signifies knowledge, where the date of the Declaration of Independence of the United States is written in Roman numerals: “July IV MDCCLXXVI.” The statue is located in the central part of the island and is a national monument protected by the National Park Service.

History of the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty signifies the alliance between France and the United States during the American Revolution from 1775 to 1783. It was designed by the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. The French at one time donated money for the construction of the statue.

The first model of the Statue of Liberty, in 1870, was built on a small scale. The story begins with this, this was the first statue, which is now in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. A second copy of the statue, also on a small scale, is located in the city of Maceio in the northeastern part of Brazil.

Meanwhile, during the construction of the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty, the help of engineers was required to solve certain design problems that were associated with the installation of a colossal copper sculpture. Eiffel Tower designer Gustave Fiffel was commissioned to design the statue's enormous skeletal base that would allow it to stand upright.

On June 30, 1878, at the Paris Exhibition, the head of the Statue of Liberty was exhibited, which was organized in the garden of the Trocadero Palace. At that time, like others, parts of the statue were shown in another exhibition at Champs de Mars.

By an act of the US Congress in 1877, it was decided to bring and install the Statues of Liberty to America. General William Sherman was chosen as the commissioner for delivery and installation. The location for the construction and installation of the statue was also chosen - an island on the Hudson River.

On February 18, 1879, Bartholdi was issued a US patent for the industrial design of the statue No. D11,023. The decision was made to finance the Statue of Liberty in July 1882.

Once the statue was ready to be shipped to the United States, there were some problems with the smelting across the Atlantic Ocean. The pedestal on which she was supposed to stand did not fit into the ship. But still, the statue was prepared for transportation across the ocean, it was divided into 350 separate parts and then packed into 214 boxes.

Finally, on June 17, 1886, the statue arrived in New York Harbor and was officially installed on the massive Memorial designed by Richard Morris. Which was built with funds raised by newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

In 1956, the US Congress passed an Act renaming Wood Island “Liberty Island.”

Wood Island itself was built and fortified with a pedestal in the 19th century, made of concrete and granite in the shape of a limited star, to protect New York City during the War of 1812.

The statue was in conservation, in boxes, for eleven months, awaiting its pedestal. In the United States, the Minister of France, P. Levi Morton, hammered the first nail in the construction of the statue. The long-awaited construction and installation has begun.

Finally, on October 28, 1886, it was inaugurated by President Grover Cleveland in front of thousands of spectators.

In 1924 the monument was declared a national monument. And in 1933, the statue was transferred to the National Park Service. For the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, between 1984 and 1986, it was reconstructed.

Like other historical sites managed by the National Park Service, statue of liberty, along with Ellis and Liberty Island, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. And in 1972, President Nixon opened an American museum dedicated to immigration at the base of the pedestal.

The Statue of Liberty was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984. And in 2007, he was among 20 finalists in the “Seven New Wonders of the World” competition.

Millions of tourists from different parts of the world visit the Statue of Liberty every year. And through the observation deck of the statue there is a beautiful view in which you can spend your time.

Statue of Liberty became an international symbol of freedom. Have you been there, write in the comments.

The Statue of Liberty was gifted to the United States by the French government in honor of the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The gigantic figure was called “Liberty Illuminating the World” and was created over 10 years in the art studio of sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, designed the internal steel frame for it. It was planned to present this gift on July 4, 1876, but due to a lack of funds, which were to be replenished through voluntary donations, the celebration had to be postponed.

Practical Americans did not understand for what kind of romantic utopias they should part with their labor income.

Bartholdi was forced to send to the states a fragment of a statue 15 meters high - the right hand and a torch, which he installed in Philadelphia at the centenary exhibition. They charged 50 cents to climb into the torch itself. (decent money at that time). The hand with the torch was then transported to New York and installed in Madison Square Garden. And yet there was clearly not enough money.

And then a young journalist, editor and publisher of the World newspaper, Joseph Pulitzer, got down to business. At 18, he arrived in New York penniless from Hungary and began his working career as a newspaper delivery boy. Then he began to write police chronicles, small notes and quite quickly became the owner of the dying newspaper “New York World”. He instantly restructured its work, addressing thousands of new emigrants like him. like himself, perfectly understanding their needs and aspirations. So Pulitzer abruptly joined the money-raising campaign.

“This statue is not a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of America,” he wrote angrily, “it is a gift from the French to all Americans. Take this as a call addressed to you personally!”

Within 5 months the required amount was collected. This action brought fame to Pulitzer and allowed the newspaper's circulation to triple. And these days, the Pulitzer Prize is the most prestigious award for journalists.

Finally, on October 28, 1886, US President Grover Cleveland, amid great fanfare, accepted the Statue of Liberty on Bedlow Island, renamed Liberty Island in 1956 in honor of the famous statue.

Initially, an agreement was reached between the governments of the two countries, according to which the French side was responsible for the construction and transportation of the statue, while America prepared a place for it and erected an appropriate pedestal. Both the French and Americans agreed that a small island at the entrance to New York Harbor would be best suited for their purposes. Here, at one time, the foundation for Fort Wood in the shape of a ten-pointed star was already laid. It could well have served as the foundation for a grandiose pedestal, the first stone of which was laid in 1884.

Bartholdi planned to cover the statue itself, 47 m high, with copper sheets no more than 2.4 mm thick. Thin copper had to be minted using a special wooden mold. As a result, Bartholdi and his assistants produced 350 individual skin parts, which were sent by ship to the USA in July 1884. On Bedloe Island they were put together like a huge construction set and placed on a steel frame made by Eiffel.

The frame consists of four monumental steel supports that span the entire height of the statue. These supports are attached to the pedestal with huge steel bolts. The lace of the steel frame, which Bartholdi covered with hundreds of parts from his designer, is distributed on the main supports. To give the statue sufficient strength and flexibility, each element of the copper plating was equipped with its own independent beam. Bartholdi had hoped in advance that the sheathing material would make it easier for him to assemble the statue, because thin sheet copper bends and cuts easily. This made it possible to make the final adjustment of parts directly on the statue during the assembly process. One way or another, the Statue of Liberty is without a doubt an example of the skill of a talented French engineer.

In the ensemble with a plinth, made in the classical style by the architect Richard M. Hunt, the height of the statue from the base to the top of the golden flames is 95 m. The seven rays on its crown symbolize the seven seas. For many travelers who crossed the Atlantic to America, the Statue of Liberty was a symbol of freedom, independence and prosperity.

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 1986, the Statue of Liberty received a facelift. The salty sea air corroded its structure so much that serious restoration was required. Voluntary contributions from citizens across America more than covered the $2 million cost of this work. This statue means a lot to the citizens of America - and not only to them.

An Invitation to Hope

In a figurative sense, the Statue of Liberty was the first sign of a new world for the many millions of immigrants who have come to America over the past two centuries.

The famous words on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty belong to New York poet Emma Lazarus, who were written after the war that swept across Russia in the 1880s. waves of pogroms that forced many Jews to cross the Atlantic.

Since then, her lines have acquired a universal resonance, serving as a beacon of hope for all the disadvantaged and persecuted: And give me from the bottomless depths of your outcasts, your downtrodden people, Send me the outcasts, the homeless, I will give them a golden candle at the door!

For tourists

Get to Liberty Island (Liberty Island) via ferry from Battery Park Pier (Battery park). Entering the park, you will see a long, organized queue, like once at the Mausoleum; these are those who want to visit the island with the statue, which you may want to join.

Visits to Corona are allowed again, but places are limited so you need to book tickets in advance. Those who have not done so will have to walk around the area around the statue and go up to the observation deck on the 16th floor; a special glass ceiling allows you to see the impressive “insides” of the statue. A visit to the island by ferry is usually combined with a visit to neighboring Ellis Island (Ellis Island). Ferries (Tel: 201-604-2800, 877-523-9849; www.statuecruises.com; adult/child $13/5; every 30 min. 9:00-17:00, longer in summer) depart from Battery Park (Battery Park). The nearest metro stations are South Ferry and Bowling Green. Book your ferry tickets in advance (visit to crown - additional $3), you will visit both attractions.

An excursion to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty is best done in the warm season and during daylight hours.

Of course, in winter there are much fewer people interested, so. If you are not afraid of the icy piercing wind that gets to your skin through the warmest down coats and gloves, then it’s worth a try. Traveling on a boat is wonderful, but being on an open area in cold weather is a very extreme feeling. On Ellis Island there is an old immigration center where all new arrivals to the country were received and registered, now there is a museum there.

Data

• Title: Officially translated from French, its name is “Freedom that illuminates the world.” She is also known as the Statue of Liberty, Lady Liberty or Miss Liberty.
• Design: The author of the statue is the French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. Posting Eiffel was responsible for the engineering work, and he also created its steel internal frame. The total weight of the statue is 254 tons.
• Dimensions: The statue itself is 46.5 m high and stands on a 47-meter pedestal, to the top of which there is a staircase of 194 steps, and to the crown of the statue you need to walk 354 steps.
• UNESCO World Heritage List: The Statue of Liberty was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.

Ellis Island

Serving from 1892 to 1954 as a transit point for more than 12 million immigrants hoping to start a new life in America, Ellis Island is modest and sometimes even squalid, but on the other hand, it symbolizes the fulfillment of dreams. More than three thousand people died here in the island hospital; many were denied entry. The Ellis Island Immigration Station is the second stop on ferries heading to the Statue of Liberty. The beautiful main building became the Immigration Museum (Immigration museum; Tel: 212-363-3200; www.ellisisland.org; New York Harbor (New York Harbor); audio guide $8; 9.30-17.00), where interesting exhibitions and film screenings are held about the life of immigrants and how the influx of people changed the United States.

But look at another topic wandering around the Internet:

At first glance, everything is known about the Statue of Liberty. It was given to the United States by the French for the centenary of independence. The monument, created by Frederic Bartholdi and Gustav Eiffel, was inaugurated on Liberty Island at the mouth of the Hudson River on October 28, 1886. "Lady Liberty", which meets ships arriving in New York, is very ponderous. It contains 204 tons, of which 90 are copper blocks with which the figure is lined.

It is these 90 tons that have been the subject of heated debate among historians from different countries for many years. It is clear that the supplier of such a huge batch of non-ferrous metal must have made very good money - the cost of copper at that time averaged $2,500 per ton. But the question of who got this money still remains open. No documents relating to the purchase of copper have been preserved, and in the memoirs of people involved in the creation of the Statue of Liberty, the topic of the origin of the metal is strangely hushed up.

A little historical background:

The creation of the monument was entrusted to the sculptor and architect Frederic Bartholdi. A deadline was set - the monument had to be completed by 1876, coinciding with the centenary of the US Declaration of Independence. It is believed that this is a joint French-American project. The 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 construction began, it became clear that much more funds were needed than originally planned. A large-scale fundraising campaign, lotteries, charity concerts, and other events were initiated on both sides of the ocean. When calculating the design parameters of the huge Bartholdi statue, the help of an experienced engineer was required. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the creator of the Eiffel Tower, personally designed the strong iron support and frame that allows the copper shell of the statue to move freely while maintaining the balance of the monument itself.

Americans were reluctant to part with funds, and therefore there were difficulties in collecting the required amount, so Joseph Pulitzer wrote a number of articles in the pages of his World newspaper, addressing representatives of the upper and middle classes and urging them to allocate money for a good cause. The criticism was extremely harsh, and it had an effect

By August 1885, the United States managed to collect the required amount; by that time, the French had already completed their part of the work and brought parts of the statue to New York. The Statue of Liberty was divided into 350 parts and transported on the frigate Isere in 214 boxes. In 4 months, all parts of the monument were assembled, and in front of a huge gathering of people, on October 26, 1886, the opening ceremony of the legendary monument took place. It so happened that the 100th anniversary gift was 10 years late. It is worth noting that the hand with the torch was assembled even earlier and was even exhibited at an exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876

Let's return now to the material:

They tried to solve the mystery by comparing the lining material with samples taken from the world's largest mines. The experiment brought even more confusion, versions grew like mushrooms after rain. Copper samples with similar compositions of impurities were discovered in the English mines in Swansea, in the German Mansfield and in the Spanish mining region of Huelva. Norwegian scientists have little doubt that Bartholdi purchased 90 tons of copper from the Visnes mine, which was developed in the 1870s on the island of Karmøy in the North Sea. Moreover, the company that owned this mine was managed by a Frenchman, and its headquarters were located in Paris. The Norwegians were so keen to consider themselves “suppliers of building material for American Liberty” that they ordered a spectrographic analysis from Bell Laboratories. His results showed that the North Sea copper was very similar to, but not identical to, that used to clad the statue. And this gives a chance to develop another theory about the origin of the metal - this time Russian.

Nizhny Tagil, Copper mine. Fox Mountain

From the Urals to Paris

Bashkir scientist, candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences Miniakhmet Mutalov and employees of the Vysokogorsk mining and processing plant have no doubt that the copper for Lady Liberty was purchased from the industrialists Demidovs, who owned the Nizhny Tagil mines. True, they are guided by their experience in mining, and not by the results of research from American laboratories. However, one cannot but agree with them that in the 1870s Russian copper was indeed very popular in the West, where it was called “Old Sable”. The Demidov mines could undoubtedly provide the required volume of production. In 1814, a huge copper quarry was opened on Mount Vyiskaya near Nizhny Tagil, and by 1850 copper production there reached 10,000 tons per year. By comparison, the Norwegian mine - the number one candidate - was then producing only 3,000 tons.

Nizhny Tagil copper was sold mainly in Western European markets, despite the fact that the mine was very far from the consumer. In 1851, at the first World Exhibition in London, she received three bronze medals, and in 1867, the Demidovs took first place at the Paris Exhibition.

In France, they had heard about the successes of Russian miners before. French specialists often came to the Urals to study. In the Nizhny Tagil archives from the 19th century, hundreds of contracts with foreigners who were hired by the Demidovs were preserved. They employed 42 foreigners - English, Swiss, German, Belgian, Italian and 14 French. The personal consultant of the industrialists was a mining engineer from France, Leple, and his compatriot by the name of Bokar worked as an administrator of the Nizhny Tagil plant. Such close cooperation greatly contributed to the establishment of metal supply channels to Western buyers.

Secret signs

Conspiracy sources also support the version of the Russian origin of the Statue of Liberty. It is known that Bartholdi and Eiffel were members of the French Masonic lodge, and it was the “freemasons” who helped them raise 3.5 million francs to make the statue. The construction of the pedestal was financed by the Masonic Lodge of New York. Media tycoon Joseph Pulitzer donated about $100,000 to it with the condition that a note with his name and the words “Russian emigrant and Jew” be placed at the base of the monument. Moreover, according to official data, he was born in Hungary and it was from there that he moved to the United States.

It is known that the French and American Freemasons maintained fairly close relations, including those of a business nature, with the Russian “free masons.” And the Demidovs occupied a very high position in the Masonic hierarchy of Russia. After the Decembrist uprising, the emperor banned Masonic lodges, and they had to go underground. “Free masons” from the capital’s aristocracy and bourgeoisie hastily got rid of images of compasses, trowels and pyramids on clothes, carriages and house facades. The Demidovs were the only ones who continued to openly demonstrate Masonic symbols - a silver hammer and a tool similar to a trowel were depicted on their family coat of arms.

Pavel Pavlovich Demidov, who in the 1870s headed a complex of Nizhny Tagil enterprises, spent his youth in Paris. In the mid-1860s, after graduating from the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, he continued his education under the guidance of the famous scientist, publicist, politician and... freemason Edward Rene de Laboulaye. At the same time, the young, promising sculptor Frederic Bartholdi was sculpting a bust of his idolized Laboulaye.

One summer day in 1865, the flower of French Freemasonry gathered in Laboule’s house: Oscar and Edmund Lafayette, the grandchildren of the Marquis Lafayette, the Masonic brother of George Washington, the historian Henry Martin and, of course, Bartholdi. Edouard Rene shared an idea with his friends: what a beautiful gesture on the part of the French Republicans it would be to give the Americans, as a sign of their friendship, a memorial symbolizing freedom! Contemporaries called Laboulaye “the main admirer of America in France,” among other things, the gift was supposed to highlight the contrast between American democracy and the repressive political methods of the Second Empire. For 31-year-old Bartholdi, who, without hesitation, took up his older comrade’s idea, this was a chance to demonstrate his talent to the whole world.

It was not built right away

The implementation of the idea had to wait until the end of the Franco-Prussian War. In 1871, Laboulaye invited Bartholdi to go to America and do everything necessary to ensure that the monument was opened on July 4, 1876, the centenary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Without money and a sketch of the monument, but with a heap of letters of recommendation to his American brothers, the sculptor sailed to America. The idea for the statue arose in his head when he was already sailing towards New York - Frederick quickly made a sketch.

Three years later, Bartholdi returned to France, where he established the Franco-American Union to raise funds for the construction of the monument to “Liberty Enlightening the World.” Soon he began work on its creation together with the Parisian company Gaget, Gauthier & Cie.

The sculptor copied the face of “Freedom” from his mother. First, he made a four-foot clay model, then a nine-foot one from plaster, then he began to proportionally enlarge each of its parts nine times... But the deadlines were delayed due to a constant lack of funds.

Although more than 100,000 French people donated to the monument, the Freemasons managed to raise the necessary money only by 1880. The Americans probably gave them the missing amount. It was not without reason that Bartholdi invited United States Treasury Secretary Levi P. Morton to install the first piece of copper cladding on the big toe of the statue’s left foot. On July 4, 1884, two months after completion of the work, the monument was officially presented as a gift to the US Ambassador to Paris Levi Morton. For another two years, Lady Liberty stood in Paris, waiting for a pedestal to be completed for her in Hudson Bay.

On August 5, 1884, under heavy rain, which forced the cancellation of the Masonic parade (there would not have been enough space for it on the tiny island anyway), a ceremony was held to lay the first stone on the pedestal of the statue. Then under it was that famous “box with a secret”, in which, in addition to the names of Masonic presidents and Pulitzer’s strange statement about his Russian roots, they say the names of all the people who took part in the creation of “Lady Liberty” were indicated, but for some reason reasons not admitted to it.

In June 1885, the statue, disassembled into pieces and packed into 214 containers, arrived in New York. It took another 15 months to collect it, and finally, on October 28, 1886, the gift from France appeared before the Americans in all its glory. The opening ceremony of the monument was presided over by the President of the United States, Freemason Grover Cleveland. The monument was consecrated by the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church of New York, Henry Potter, also a member of the Freemasons lodge. The Grand Master, Senator Chauncey M. Depew, delivered the solemn speech.

And only Russian Masons could not openly announce their participation in the construction of the monument - most likely, they would not have been praised for this in their homeland. Perhaps this is why all documents indicating the sale of 90 tons of Russian copper to France were carefully destroyed.

Marriage of convenience

In general, the policy of the Russian tsars regarding lodges was not consistent. Thus, while persecuting the “free masons” in his country, Alexander III nevertheless actively collaborated with the French Freemasons. The desire not to get involved in international adventures and wars pushed him towards a rapprochement with Paris, where at that time the ball of the lodge ruled. The sovereign had no choice - Great Britain encroached on Russian territories, Prussia was too aggressive. Alexander had to accept the foreign policy line of rapprochement with France, which was proposed to him by Foreign Minister Giers.

Alexander only benefited from cooperation with Masonic France - huge investments flowed into the country. In 1888, the emissary of the French banks, Gosquier, arrived in St. Petersburg for negotiations with the Minister of Finance Ivan Vyshnegradsky, who subsequently began to manage the capital of all members of the royal family. In November 1888, a decree was issued on the issue of a Russian four-percent gold loan.

Initially, its amount was only 500 million francs. But already in February of the following year, Alexander ordered the issuance of a consolidated loan of the first series in the amount of 175 million rubles for the conversion of five percent bonds of numerous railway loans of the 1870s. The French actively subscribed to it, seeing in Russia a guarantor of protection against the Prussian threat, and thereby stimulated St. Petersburg to expand business contacts.

The deal took place, and already in April the so-called loan of consolidated Russian bonds of the second series appeared in the amount of 310.5 million rubles. It was released jointly with the Rothschild bank and was also a huge success. After this, the French began a virtual “economic occupation” of Russia. They invested in the construction of railways and factories, cut down mines and erected oil derricks. This continued almost until the outbreak of the First World War.

Perhaps if Russia and France had become friends a little earlier, the sale of copper for Bartholdi’s ambitious project would not have had to be hidden. But now the historical truth is no longer so important; anyway, the statue remained in history not as a Masonic symbol, but as a talisman of emigrants coming to the New World in search of a new life.

But look at another example from history, like one person, and here with. Yes, and if you also remember something about large transactions, for example The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -