Statue of Liberty

The Liberty Enlightening the World;

The statue is situated in New York Bay on Liberty Island, south of Ellis Island, since October 28, 1886; One of the most visited places in the United States (4,2 million of visitors a year);

History
The statue celebrates the centenary of the

independence of the United States, and is a gesture of friendship from France to the United States, in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. It was a gift from Napoleon III, as a prize to the United States after a battle won against England.

Napoleon III

The construction
The statue was designed and built by the Alsatian sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, which was based on the Colossus of Rhodes to build it; To build the internal metallic structure of the statue, Bartholdi was attended by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel; The Statue was a joint effort between America and France, the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly in the United States;

Bartholdi

Eiffel

The construction
Both American and French people raised funds to build the monument.It costed about 2,250,000 francs (250,000 dollars). The pedestal construction was finished in April of 1885. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate. In the travel to U.S.A the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time.

Curiosities
The statue measures 93 meters (47 meters corresponding to the height of the base and 46 meters to the height of the statue); There are 389 steps to the entrance to the torch; The set weighs a total of 165.4 tonnes (28 tonnes of copper).The statue is currently the heaviest in the world , according to Guinness; The blue-green color is caused by chemical reactions, which produced copper salts and created the current hue;

Curiosities
Bartholdi incorporated Masonic symbols in the monument like the torch, the book in his left hand, and the crown of seven spikes around the head; The statue underwent a major renovation in celebration of its centenary (1986), at a cost of 69.8 million dollars. It was made a clean sweep at the statue and his crown, eroded by time, was replaced. The original crown is exposed in the lobby.

Come to me your tired, your poor, Your bewildered masses, yearning to breathe free, the tailings that apply in coastal areas without hope,send me the homeless, driven out by the storm: I suspend my torch on the golden gate. (Emma lazarus,1875).