In what year was the Statue of Liberty unveiled? Where is the Statue of Liberty located and how was it created? Where is the Statue of Liberty in New York

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Perhaps, not only a Native American, but also any inhabitant of our planet, when asked what is the symbol of the United States, will answer without hesitation: the Statue of Liberty. It is no coincidence that we see this particular monument more often than others in American cinema; it is no coincidence that, as tourists, we buy copies of the Statue of Liberty in souvenir shops and take home.

Emphasizing the greatness of the monument, the Statue of Liberty is often compared to the Colossus of Rhodes, an ancient Greek statue that has not survived to this day. Poet Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus” for the day of the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty. Since 1903, a special plaque with the lines of this work adorns the pedestal of the monument.

By the way, not everyone knows that the full name of the Statue of Liberty is “Liberty Enlightening the World”. The 46-meter (93-meter with pedestal) Statue of Liberty stands proudly on island of the same name, is a gift presented to the United States on behalf of the French people, who once supported the Americans in the struggle for independence. The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of independence and democracy was born in 1865 and belongs to the famous French scientist and lawyer Edouard Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye. The concept of the monument was developed by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi.

The original model of the Statue of Liberty was made by Bartholdi in 1870; today this first copy of the legendary monument can be seen in Luxembourg Gardens near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Place for the Statue of Liberty or interesting fact

Bartholdi chose which corner of American soil the monument would rise in. In his opinion, places more ideal than the island Bedlow, located 3 km southwest of the southern border of Manhattan, was simply impossible to find. However, historians are lifting the curtain and revealing some secrets to us.

It turns out that Bartholdi perfectly presented his giant sculpture not only on an island near New York, but also in Port Said, located in the Suez Canal, connecting the Red and Mediterranean Sea. The project “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” was not destined to come true, but Bartholdi’s work was not in vain, the sculptor successfully brought his idea into reality in the United States, moreover, the builder of the Suez Canal Lessens was put at the head of the committee for the creation of the Statue of Liberty in the United States .

A little history

The project to erect a monument on Bedloe's Island was approved by the US Congress only in 1877, and this despite the fact that, according to the French plan, the unusual gift was to be ready by the hundredth anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, that is, by July 4, 1876. However, fundraising was delayed, and by this time only a copper hand with a torch was ready, which was sheltered in New York on Madison Square until work on the statue was completed. By July 1878, Lady Liberty's head was ready. At the same time, the head was presented at an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Paris.

It is worth noting that funds for the construction of the monument were collected by everyone possible ways: balls, sports competitions, exhibitions and lotteries were organized. Significant assistance in financing the construction of the monument was provided by the eloquent Pulitzer, publisher of the New-York World newspaper.

The first presentation of the finished Statue of Liberty took place on July 4, 1884 in France, after which the monument was dismantled and sent to the United States. The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York on July 17, 1885. The assembly of the monument lasted about 4 months. However, the official opening of the Statue of Liberty in New York by US President Grover Cleveland took place only on October 28, 1886. Only men were present at the opening ceremony. And this despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of democracy. As an exception, only Lessens's eight-year-old daughter and Bartholdi's wife were allowed to be on the island that day.

By the way, Bedloe Island was officially renamed Liberty Island only in 1956, although Bartholdi proposed doing this back in the 19th century, 80 years before the event.

Statue of Liberty inside and out

The Statue of Liberty is a steel frame with a total weight of 125 tons. Gustav Eiffel was invited to design and build the steel structure, and his work was continued by Maurice Koechlin. The frame is constructed in such a way that you can easily move around inside the monument and even climb it. spiral staircases up. To the main observation deck, located in the crown, 354 steps. From there, 25 windows symbolizing precious stones offer an amazing view of New York Harbor. By the way, the seven rays of the crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents, as is commonly believed in the West.

On top of the steel skeleton is covered with copper sheets, masterfully hammered in wooden forms, with a thickness of only 2.37 mm and a total weight of 31 tons. Copper plates spliced together form the silhouette of the statue. By the way, copper was supplied to France from Russia. It is worth noting that one leg of the statue stands on broken shackles - this is how Bartholdi symbolically showed the acquisition of freedom. The plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty states the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776: JULY IV MDCCLXXVI.

The monument's pedestal was designed by American architect Richard Morris Hunt. Work on its construction began in the summer of 1885 and was completed in April 1886. The cement base of the Statue of Liberty weighs 27 thousand tons. To get to the top of the pedestal, you need to climb 192 steps. Inside the pedestal there is a museum, which can be reached by elevator.

In 1924, the Statue of Liberty was designated a national monument; in the 30s of the 20th century, the entire Bedlow (Liberty) Island became a national monument. national park. In 1984, the UN declared Liberty Island and the legendary monument located on it a monument of world significance.

The Statue of Liberty has been restored several times, and new lighting elements have been added. Currently, the monument is equipped with laser illumination.

Who is she - “Lady Liberty”?

Who was Bartholdi's model, whose face illuminates the world? Who was captured forever by the great sculptor in the image of the Roman Goddess Libertas? Surely, these questions are asked by both the Americans themselves and guests from all over the world.

There are two opinions on this matter. Some believe that Bartholdi captured in his work the face of the Frenchwoman Isabella Boyer, the widow of Isaac Singer. Others are of the opinion that the Statue of Liberty inherited the image of the sculptor's mother, Charlotte. Which opinion is true still remains a mystery that is unlikely to ever be solved.

How to get there

Every year, the Statue of Liberty is visited by over 4 million tourists from all over the world. Login National Park The island is free, however, to get to it you will have to spend money on a ferry, as well as undergo a thorough search at the piers.

Ferries depart from New York. You can travel to the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park Pier in Manhattan or from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Entrance to the statue is free; for the ferry, adults will have to pay 25 USD, children 4-12 years old - 15 USD. Prices on the page are as of September 2018.

The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island. Liberty Island ), about 3 km southwest of the southern tip of Manhattan, in New Jersey. Before the city, the island was called "Bedloe's Island" (English. Bedloe's Island ), although it was popularly called the “Island of Freedom” since the beginning of the 20th century.

Statue of Liberty (view from the pedestal)

The goddess of freedom holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left. The inscription on the tablet reads “English. JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (written in Roman numerals for the date "July 4, 1776"), this date is the day of the adoption of the United States Declaration of Independence. “Freedom” stands with one foot on broken shackles.

Visitors walk 356 steps to the crown of the Statue of Liberty or 192 steps to the top of the pedestal. There are 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize earthly precious stones and heavenly rays that illuminate the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (western geographical tradition has exactly seven continents).

The total weight of copper used to cast the statue is 31 tons, and the total weight of its steel structure is 125 tons. The total weight of the concrete base is 27 thousand tons. The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.

The height from the ground to the tip of the torch is 93 meters, including the base and pedestal. The height of the statue itself, from the top of the pedestal to the torch, is 46 meters.

The statue was constructed from thin sheets of copper hammered into wooden molds. The formed sheets were then installed on a steel frame.

The statue is usually open to visitors, usually arriving by ferry. The crown, accessible by stairs, offers expansive views of New York Harbor. The museum, located in the pedestal (and accessible by elevator), houses an exhibition on the history of the statue.

New Colossus

Plate "New Colossus"

Inside the statue's crown

Tokyo

The Statue of Liberty is installed in Tokyo on the island of Odaiba.

Las Vegas

Uzhgorod

The world's smallest Statue of Liberty, created by sculptor Mikhail Kolodko and architect Alexander Bezik, is located in the city of Uzhgorod on the parapet of the Pedestrian Bridge. The 30-centimeter sculpture, created on the initiative of the head of the tourism department of Uzhgorod National University Fedor Sandor, is cast from bronze in Budapest, weighs 4 kg and is a real working lighthouse on the non-navigable Uzh River, where the Uzhgorod Regatta comic competitions are held annually. The sculptural woman symbolizes the love of Transcarpathians for everything unique and original.

Dnepropetrovsk

On May 18, 2012 in Dnepropetrovsk, in the Melrose cafe on Heroev Ave., the Statue of Liberty was installed, the height of the sculpture is 2.65 m, the height of the pedestal is 1.35 m, the sculptor is Semenova S.S.

Moscow

Monument to the Soviet Constitution(obelisk and Statue of Liberty) on Sovetskaya (Tverskaya) Square in Moscow. 1918-1919 (not preserved).

In the fall of 1918, a 26-meter triangular obelisk in honor of the Soviet Constitution appeared on Sovetskaya Square. The monument in June 1919 was supplemented with the Statue of Liberty by Nikolai Andreev. Muscovites loved the monument.

The monument was not destined to stand for long. By the end of the 1930s, it was in need of restoration, since it was made hastily, from short-lived, low-quality materials: the obelisk was made of brick and plastered “to resemble granite,” and the statue was cast from concrete. But restoration did not come: shortly before the Great Patriotic War, on April 22, 1941, the dilapidated monument was destroyed. The head of the Statue of Liberty is now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Statue of Liberty in popular culture

In video games

There is a parody of the statue in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. The parody statue is called the Statue of Happiness. On the upper floors there is a door that you can enter and then climb up a long staircase. There is a beating heart suspended on chains (the heart of the city). If you shoot him, he will bleed. Instead of a torch at the statue there is a cup of coffee
In the Civilization series of games, the Statue of Liberty is one of the wonders of the world.
In the Red Alert video games, the Statue of Liberty is repeatedly destroyed. Destroying her is part of the game and videos.
The Statue of Liberty can also be seen in the video games of the Deus Ex series. In the first part, the statue was destroyed by the conspirators before the start of the game, and the first level of the game takes place on the territory of Liberty Island; in the second part, it is restored in the form of a hologram by Helios-JCDENTON.
In the add-on "Kasumi - The Stolen Memory" for the video game Mass Effect 2, the head of the Statue of Liberty, destroyed by terrorists in 2096, can be found in Donovan Hawk's underground vault.
IN computer game Rise Of Nations: Thrones and Patriots Statue of Liberty as one of the wonders of the world.
In the video game World in Conflict, there is a mission in which you have to recapture the Statue of Liberty or else a bomb will be dropped on it.
In the computer game Crysis 2, the Statue of Liberty is destroyed by an alien attack. Its individual fragments - the right hand with a torch and the head - are the decorations of some cards.
In the video game Twisted metal 2 on the New York map, the Statue of Liberty can be shot, causing it to crumble, leaving a woman in a bikini in its place.
In the game Prototype 2, from some skyscrapers in the Yellow Zone you can see an island in the fog along with a statue. However, the character cannot get to the island, because the character jumps out of the water towards the mainland or big island, if it falls into the water, and there are no nearby objects to the island.

To the cinema

“Ghostbusters 2” - in the film, the main characters revive the Statue of Liberty and use it in the fight against Evil.
In Alfred Hitchcock's film "Saboteur", the main character Barry Kane, being in the hand of a statue holding a torch, tries to hold the sleeve of the Nazi spy Fry. In reality, actor Norman Lloyd was filmed in a studio, lying on a special black saddle on a black floor, with the camera moving 12 meters away from him. During editing, the fragment filmed on the Statue of Liberty was superimposed on a black background, and it turned out that the actor was falling down.
“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” - on the Paris Statue of Liberty there is one of the keys that helps the heroes of the film find the treasure.
In the science fiction film “Monstro”, the heroes, running out into the streets to find out what is happening, see the head of the Statue of Liberty rolling through the streets of Manhattan. And the promotional poster for the film shows the statue itself without a head. Only the torch sticks out forlornly above the rubble.
"X-Men" - Magneto installs his miracle machine on the torch of the Statue of Liberty to turn all people into mutants.
In the film “The Day After Tomorrow” by Roland Emmerich, the statue is first covered by a tsunami, and then a sudden cold snap leads to icing of the statue and all of New York.
A giant wave also covers the Statue of Liberty in the movie Deep Impact. Next you can see how the severed head of the statue floats underwater between the skyscrapers of New York.
In the film Planet of the Apes (1968), the main character George Taylor, discovering the half-buried Statue of Liberty on the ocean shore, realizes with despair that he is on planet Earth.
In the movie "Men in Black 2" on the Statue of Liberty there is a memory erasing device designed to cover the entire territory of New York.
In the film “Fast Change,” when the heroes get lost in one of the districts of New York, the main character utters the phrase with despair: “Well, at least see something familiar.” In this case, the camera rises above tall buildings and a panorama of the bay is shown, where the Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground.
In the cartoon "Union of Animals", released in 2010, the Statue of Liberty is shown. Monkeys climb onto her crown.
Roland Emmerich's film Independence Day shows the destruction of the Statue of Liberty after the destruction of New York City. Before this, a splash screen appears where it says: July 3rd.
The television disaster film "Day of Disaster 2" shows how the Statue of Liberty is first covered by a tsunami, then the Statue can be seen being demolished by a hurricane.
The film “Artificial Intelligence” shows what the Statue of Liberty looks like - in dilapidated and flooded New York, only the torch of the statue sticks out above the surface.
A copy of the Statue of Liberty in Tokyo can be seen in the anime Tokyo Magnitude 8.0: they showed birds flying up next to the statue right before the earthquake.
In the documentary series Life After People, you can see what the Statue will look like 300 years after people disappear. Another documentary on the same theme - "Earth: Life Without People" ("Aftermath: Population Zero") - also shows the Statue of Liberty.
Disaster movie "

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 for many years. different countries. 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. Alexander Gustav Eiffel, creator Eiffel Tower, personally developed the design of a 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 crowd of people, on October 26, 1886, the opening ceremony took place legendary monument. It so happened that the 100th anniversary gift was 10 years late. It is worth noting that the hand with a 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 markets Western Europe, 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 “free masons” 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 mogul 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 trowel-like tool 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.

In one of summer days In 1865, the flower of French Freemasonry gathered in Laboulaye’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 attempted to 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 construction 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 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 -

The most famous symbol of the United States is the monument overlooking New York Harbor. Residents of the country consider it not only a sign of the independence of their state, but also, in some way, an icon of democracy. However, not everyone remembers who gave America the Statue of Liberty and what mythological character it represents.

A giant sculpture of the ancient Roman goddess Libertas was installed on an island in New York Harbor after a hundred years of independent existence of the United States. The one who gave America the Statue of Liberty was a long-time ally of the rebellious British colony, which became the world's first state with a democratic form of government.

Friendship between France and the USA

The stubborn reluctance of the English king to allow residents of overseas territories to represent their interests in the metropolitan parliament led to a revolution and an armed struggle for independence. Catholic France and Protestant Britain were rivals on both the European and American continents. Turning to Paris for help was a completely logical step on the part of the rebel colonies. At first, France secretly supported the American revolutionary army, and then openly entered into an official alliance with the United States. It became the first state to establish diplomatic relations with the colonies that won independence.

Given the long history of friendship, it is not difficult to guess which country gave the Statue of Liberty to America. Over the next century, the United States experienced major upheavals: the abolition of slavery and a bloody civil war between North and South. The young state successfully passed the test. It was the French people who gave America the Statue of Liberty in honor of the centenary of independence.

The birth of an idea

The plan to create a grandiose monument appeared in 1865. Among those who gave America the Statue of Liberty was the French writer and politician Edouard de Laboulaye. He was the author of the idea of creating a monument symbolizing the independence of the United States and friendship between the two countries. Edouard de Laboulaye was a fiery ideologist of democracy and considered the North American state a successful example of its implementation. During civil war he wholeheartedly supported the abolitionists.

Design

The famous sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi took on the task of implementing the plan. First of all, he visited the United States in order to decide on the location of the statue. Bartholdi's attention was drawn to Bedlow Island, located in New York Bay. This place came into the field of view of all ships arriving on the American continent. The only drawback of the island was the strong winds characteristic of the coast Atlantic Ocean. When installing the sculpture, it was necessary to take this feature into account. The US Congress agreed with Bartholdi's proposal and officially approved the site for the construction of the monument.

The legendary French architect and engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the author of the world famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, took part in the creation of the statue. To implement the grandiose project, a specialist in the construction of durable and reliable high-rise structures was required. Eiffel created a powerful steel frame, thanks to which the sculpture is able to withstand hurricane-force Atlantic winds.

Fundraising

From a financial point of view, the question of which country gave the Statue of Liberty to America does not have a clear answer. From the very beginning, the decision was made to invest jointly. In France, in the process of a large-scale donation campaign, in which many newspapers took part, it was quickly possible to obtain the amount necessary to create a sculpture of the goddess Libertas. The United States was entrusted with the task of financing the construction of the pedestal.

The famous American newspaper magnate Joseph Pulitzer donated a large sum for this project, and through his publications he encouraged others to follow his example.

During fundraising campaigns it was announced official name giant monument - "Freedom illuminating the world."

Manufacturing process

In accordance with Bartholdi's design, the sculpture was cast in copper in France. Residents of the country that gave America the Statue of Liberty had the opportunity to three months admire her in Paris. The monument was then dismantled into pieces and sent by ship to the United States. The height of the statue is 46 meters, weight - more than 150 tons. It represents the figure of a woman with a crown on her head, who holds a torch in her right hand and a tablet with the date of the Declaration of Independence written in Roman numerals in her left hand.

The sculpture was delivered to New York in June 1885. The French gift was timed not only to coincide with the centenary of the American Revolution, but also to coincide with the World's Fair of Arts and Industries in Philadelphia. In 1876, Bartholdi already showed visitors to this international exhibition a giant sculpture hand holding a torch. Almost ten years later, all parts of the monument were reunited forever.

Pedestal

The French ship that delivered the sculpture was enthusiastically greeted by thousands of New Yorkers. This moment remained in history as a reminder of who gave the United States of America the Statue of Liberty. Due to funding problems, the pedestal on Bedlow Island was not yet ready. The arrival of the statue spurred American enthusiasm, and the flow of donations increased significantly. The pedestal was designed by the famous architect Richard Morris Hunt. The foundation of the sculpture is made of concrete, its height is 47 meters, and its total weight is 27 thousand tons. Work on the construction of the pedestal was completed in April 1886. It took another four months to assemble parts of the monument on the foundation, which was the largest concrete structure in the world at that time.

Opening

The ceremony took place on October 28, 1886. The then US President Grover Cleveland gave a speech to a crowd of thousands of spectators. It is worth noting that the one who gave America famous statue Freedom for the centennial anniversary of independence, ten years late. However, this fact did not diminish the gratitude of the people of the United States towards France. The dream of the writer Edouard de Laboulaye, the original author of the idea, has become a reality. The Statue of Liberty has become America's most important symbol and a sign of friendship between two nations that would later fight on the same side in the world wars.

On October 28, 1886, amid cannon shots, blaring sirens and incessant fireworks, the most famous monument of the United States of America - the legendary Statue of Liberty - was unveiled. From that day on, every ship entering the port of New York meets a stone statue of a woman with a torch of freedom in her hand, outstretched to the sky.

History of the Statue of Liberty

Surprisingly, main symbol freedom of the United States is the brainchild of French masters. It was in Paris that the Statue was born. It was then dismantled into pieces and transported across. Here it was reassembled and installed on a powerful plinth, which the Americans themselves built Bedloe’s Island, now Liberty Island. Liberty Island, where the statue is located, is federal property in the state of New York. The island is located closer to the New Jersey coast, which is why some people mistakenly classify it as New Jersey.

The idea of creating the Statue of Liberty appeared in 1865 from academician Edouard de Laboulaye. The author of the Statue of Liberty itself is a sculptor from Alsace, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, at that time still a young and unknown master. A few years earlier, Bartholdi had planned to build a huge lighthouse on the Suez Canal. According to his plans, this lighthouse should be in the form of a female figure. The sculpture was supposed to hold a torch in its hands, the light from which was supposed to illuminate the way for the sailors. But at one time the idea of a lighthouse on the Suez Canal was rejected. That is why the young sculptor responded with great enthusiasm to the idea of Edouard de Laboulaye.

When creating the sculpture, Bartholdi more than once turned to Delacroix’s painting “Freedom Leading the People to the Barricades.” It was the image of Liberty from this canvas that became the main prototype for the Statue of Liberty. According to one version, Bartholdi even had an American model: the beautiful, recently widowed Isabella Boyer, wife of Isaac Singer, an entrepreneur in the field of sewing machines. "...As the beautiful, French widow of an American entrepreneur, she proved a suitable model for Bartholdi's Statue of Liberty." (Ruth Brandon, Singer and the Sewing Machine: A Capitalist Romance).

Engineer Gustave Eiffel was invited to create the statue, who would later become famous as the author of the famous. Eiffel designed an ingenious metal frame structure that was supported by a central support pillar. On this movable frame the outer, that is, visible, shell of the statue made of copper with a thickness of 2.4 millimeters was strengthened. Bartholdi began by building a small figure, only 1.2 meters in size, and then made three more, gradually making them larger. They were adjusted and refined until the optimal option was achieved.

By mutual agreement, America was to build a pedestal and create a statue and install it in the United States. To avoid financial difficulties, special funds were organized that searched for funds. In France, funds were raised by organizing entertainment events and lotteries. They organized theatrical performances, art exhibitions, auctions and boxing fights. However, the accumulation of funds for the pedestal was slow, and Joseph Pulitzer (known as the founder of the Pulitzer Prize) issued an appeal in his World newspaper to support fundraising for the project fund. This had an effect and contributed to an increase in donations from Americans.

The statue was completed in France in July 1884, and was delivered to New York Harbor on June 17, 1885 aboard the French frigate Isere. For transportation, the statue was disassembled into 350 parts and packed into 214 boxes. The statue was assembled on its new base in four months. Grand opening The Statue of Liberty, which featured a speech by US President Grover Cleveland, took place on October 28, 1886 in the presence of thousands of spectators.

In 1984, the Statue of Liberty was listed World Heritage. In 1986, before the centenary, the monument was temporarily closed for careful restoration and reopened to visitors on July 5, 1986.

Features of the Statue of Liberty

Today the Statue of Liberty is one of national symbols USA. Rising at the mouth of the Hudson at the entrance to New York Harbor, a woman in graceful, flowing robes carrying a torch personifies the freedom and opportunity of the country. On her head she wears a crown with seven teeth, representing the seven seas and seven continents. At the woman's feet are the torn shackles of tyranny. In the woman's left hand she holds a slab with the date of the American Declaration of Independence inscribed on it - July 4, 1776.

The statue was made from thin sheets of copper hammered into wooden molds. The formed sheets were then installed on a steel frame.

The height of the Statue (by the way, it was originally called more pathetically - “Freedom, bringing light to the world”) is 46 meters, so, if we also take into account the 47-meter pedestal, the top of the torch is at a height of 93 meters above the ground. The weight of the monument is 205 tons. The length of the right hand, in which the torch is held, is 12.8 meters, with the index finger alone having a length of 2.4 meters, the width of the mouth is 91 centimeters.

A spiral staircase inside the statue leads tourists to the top. The statue is usually open to visitors, who usually arrive by ferry. The crown, accessible by stairs, offers expansive views of New York Harbor.

In 1972, the Museum of the Settlement of America was opened inside the Statue itself, which can be reached by a special elevator. The entire history of the country is presented here: from the ancestors - the Indians who inhabited the then unknown continent, and right up to the mass migration in the present century.

Opinions about the Statue of Liberty are completely contradictory. Nothing like this had been seen in America before the construction of this sculpture. Connoisseurs noted the high technique of execution, the clarity of proportions and the grace of lines. But opponents of those who recognized the Freedom Monument as the eighth wonder of the world noted that the symbol of Freedom in the form of a statue was interpreted too coldly and dispassionately. It is no coincidence that the epithet appeared that Freedom is “blind”, and greatness is conveyed only by large sizes.

However, evil tongues are not a hindrance to Freedom. All over the world, the Statue is considered a symbol of the United States, embodying the democratic principles of which this country is so proud.

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