Statue of Liberty's history

 

Statue of Liberty's history

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal sculpture located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, in the United States. The statue, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel, was a gift to the United States from the people of France in 1886. It is made of copper and stands at 151 feet tall, including the pedestal. The statue is a symbol of freedom and democracy and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Statue of Liberty Description

The Statue of Liberty is a monumental sculpture located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, in the United States. It is a representation of the Roman goddess Libertas, who symbolizes freedom and democracy. The statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, and it was designed by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel.

The statue stands 151 feet tall from the base to the tip of the torch, and it is made of copper, which has turned to a greenish-blue color due to the process of patination. The statue is mounted on a stone pedestal, which was designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt. The pedestal is located inside the walls of the star-shaped Fort Wood, which was built in 1807 as part of the coastal defense system of the United States.

The statue was officially dedicated on October 28, 1886, and it has since become an iconic symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as a symbol of the friendship between France and the United States. The statue has also become a popular tourist destination, with millions of visitors every year. The statue is open for public visits and tourists can take a ferry from Battery Park in Manhattan, New York, to Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Visitors can also take an elevator to the top of the statue, and enjoy the view of New York Harbor and the surrounding area.

The idea of the statue came from the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye, who suggested that the French create a statue to celebrate the centennial of American independence, as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries. The project was taken up by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who began working on the design of the statue in 1871. He was inspired by the idea of a monumental statue of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, and he designed the statue to be a representation of the goddess.

The statue is made of copper, which was chosen for its durability and ability to withstand the harsh weather conditions of New York Harbor. The copper sheets were cut, bent and assembled to the statue, and the assembly process was done by the metalworkers. The statue was then shipped to the United States in crates, and it was reassembled on Liberty Island in 1884. The final cost of the statue was around $250,000, of which the French people had donated, $84,000 and the rest was donated by Americans, including a large donation from the businessman Joseph Pulitzer, who used his newspaper, the New York World, to raise funds for the statue.

The statue has undergone several renovations and restorations over the years, including a major restoration in the 1980s to repair damage caused by weathering and air pollution. In 2016 and 2017, the statue underwent another major renovation to upgrade the infrastructure and improve accessibility for visitors. During the renovation, the statue was closed for several months and it has since re-opened for public visits.

In summary, the Statue of Liberty is a iconic monumental sculpture located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, it is a representation of the Roman goddess Libertas, who symbolizes freedom and democracy, gifted from French people to American people, designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Gustave Eiffel. It is a symbol of friendship between the two countries and also serves as a major tourist destination. Over the years, it has undergone several renovations to maintain it and make it accessible to public.