The main symbol of all of America and the pride of its people is the Statue of Liberty, rising on a small island near Manhattan. The island itself is named after the statue, although until 1956 its official name was Bedlow Island.

The statue, which is the tallest sculpture in the world, has been welcoming and seeing off ships in the bay for more than a hundred years. Big Apple. For some, it has become an interesting tourist attraction, an excellent example of sculptural art, and for others, it has truly become a beacon to a free and happy life.

Height of the Statue of Liberty is 93 meters, of which 46 meters is the statue itself, the rest is an impressive pedestal. The beautifully rendered Roman goddess Libertas holds a tablet in her left hand and a torch in her right. The date of adoption of the Declaration of Independence of America is written on the tablet. Thanks to this important event and the Statue of Liberty was created, which was presented to the country by the people of France on the centenary of the signing of the declaration.

356 steps to freedom

A staircase of 192 steps leads to the pedestal, and 356 steps must be overcome to reach the crown. To create sculptural composition 31 tons of copper were used, and the entire steel structure, which Eiffel himself worked on, weighs 125 tons.

Most of the work was carried out in France. The image of this particular goddess was chosen for many reasons, one of which was veneration by the people of America. The sculptor repeated the facial features of the goddess based on the features of his mother. For production, copper sheets almost 3 mm thick were used; the sheets were brought from factories in the Urals.

Entrance to the territory of the Liberty Island Park is free, but in order to get there tourists need to pay for a ferry ticket. Upon boarding, passengers undergo mandatory security screening, just like at airports. The statue is equipped with several webcams that allow visitors to examine fragments of the sculpture itself in more detail, as well as enjoy picturesque views of New York Harbor.

Tourist information

Address: Liberty Island, New York, 10004, USA

Entrance to the park - ferry departures

Access to Liberty Island is only via Statue Cruises ferries. Tickets are sold by type, date and time at statuecruises.com. Tickets for the podium and crown are usually sold in advance.

Ferries opening hours: daily from 9:30 to 15:30.

Ticket prices for the Statue of Liberty

Crown and pedestal:

for adults - $21.50;
for pensioners (62+) - $17;
for children (under 12 years old) - $12.

Pedestal:

for adults - $18.50;
for pensioners (62+) - $14;
for children (under 12 years old) - $9;
for children (under 3 years old) - free.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is also particularly popular among tourists.

Statue of Liberty on a map of New York

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of a happy life

The statue, which is the tallest sculpture in the world, has been meeting others for more than a hundred years..." />

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 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 composition 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 so wanted to consider themselves “suppliers 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 “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 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 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.

In one of summer days In 1865, the flower of French Freemasonry gathered in Laboulay’s house: Oscar and Edmund Lafayette, the grandsons 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 emphasize the contrast between American democracy and repressive political methods 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 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 thumb left leg of the statue. 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, an 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 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 next 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 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 -

The Statue of Liberty is the main symbol of the American people, the idea of freedom. It is located on Liberty Island, 3 km away. from the south of Manhattan Island in New York.

Jeroen van Luin / flickr.com Alan Strakey / flickr.com Liberty Island, New York, USA (Delta Whiskey / flickr.com) Statue of Liberty, New York, USA (Mobilus In Mobili / flickr.com) Andy Atzert / flickr .com Anthony Quintano / flickr.com Liberty Island, New York (Phil Dolby / flickr.com) Anthony Quintano / flickr.com Chris Tse / flickr.com sylvain.collet / flickr.com Plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty with the date of adoption Declaration of Independence (Pete Bellis / flickr.com) ali sinan köksal / flickr.com Jon Dawson / flickr.com Tom Thai / flickr.com Wilhelm Joys Andersen / flickr.com David Ohmer / flickr.com Justin / flickr.com Torch of the Statue of Liberty (Mike Clarke / flickr.com) Top view of the Statue of Liberty (StatueLibrtyNPS / flickr.com)

The Statue of Liberty is the main symbol of the American people, the idea of freedom. In addition, this is another symbol of the New York metropolis.

The majestic structure in America is located on Liberty Island. Approximately 3 thousand meters in a southwesterly direction from the south of Manhattan Island in New York. Until 56 of the last century, the island in the USA, which is now decorated with the Statue of Liberty, was called Bedlow. Although at the beginning of the century it was already nicknamed “Freedom Island”.

In the right hand of the statue, which is 12.8 meters long, there is a burning torch. On the left is a sign, the length of which is 4.14 meters. The date of the Declaration of Independence of the United States from Great Britain is written on it.

Broken shackles can be seen under the statue’s feet, which in turn symbolizes liberation. On the head, the distance from the chin to the back of the head is 5.26 meters. The length of the nose is 1.37 meters.

7 Prong Crown of the Statue of Liberty, New York (sylvain.collet / flickr.com)

The statue is crowned with a crown of 7 teeth. This is a symbol of seven seas and at the same time seven continents. According to geography, there are only seven continents on the globe: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica. Seven seas mean the same number of parts of the World Ocean. There are also windows in the crown that sparkle like diamonds in the sun and decorate it.

Another fact is that visitors usually walk 192 steps to get to the podium. And in order to climb to the very top, you need to overcome 356 steps. The size of the statue is quite impressive. The total height of the structure is 93 meters. And the height of the statue itself is 46 meters.

To visit this attraction, you need to get to the island by ferry. Usually they go to the very top, from where you can admire the stunning panorama of New York and its harbor, which defies description.

Who gave the Statue of Liberty to America?

Despite the fact that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America and New York, it was not made in the States. Where did she come from then?

Plaque in the left hand of the Statue of Liberty with the date of the Declaration of Independence (Pete Bellis / flickr.com)

The attraction is interesting because it is a gift from France to the States on Independence Day. The statue was designed and made by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor. The main idea is to give a gift to America on the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.

The widow Isabella Boyer posed for the statue. An interesting fact is that this was the wife of Singer, the American creator of the famous brand sewing machines. This lady was not the last person in the capital and at the same time a beautiful woman.

An interesting fact is that the Statue of Liberty was originally planned to be erected not in New York, but in Port Said - in Egypt. But the Egyptian authorities considered this project too expensive. Therefore, it was decided to move the structure to the USA, where it will rise on the island of the New York metropolis.

Design and preparation for construction

The US authorities undertook to build the pedestal, and the statue itself was made in Paris. The French undertook to install it on site.

View from above of the Article of Liberty, New York, USA (Phil Dolby / flickr.com)

In order to raise the necessary amount for the implementation of the project, special measures were taken in both countries. In France, a certain amount of money was raised through lotteries, entertainment events, and donations from citizens. In America, in order to raise the required amount, theatrical performances, artist exhibitions, fights in the ring and auctions were held.

In France, the author of the structure, Bartholdi, needed a technically educated person to construct the statue. Another interesting fact, this person was destined to become the architect Gustave Eiffel, whose most famous work in the future was the Eiffel Tower. He needed to design a steel support for the structure and a frame to support the statue with great height in a vertical position.

For a statue of great height, a huge amount of copper was needed. There are different interesting versions about the place of its extraction. For example, in Russia, in Nizhny Tagil. But the results of the study revealed that the copper was from Norway. The concrete base on which the Statue of Liberty stands required large amounts of cement. A German concrete production company undertook to supply it.

The formation of the amount necessary for construction did not proceed quickly enough. Joseph Pulitzer even called on American citizens to support construction. His speeches significantly influenced the speed of implementation of the plan. The pedestal was designed by an architect named Richard Morris Hunt.

Erecting the Statue of Liberty

Construction of the massive foundation near Manhattan in New York began on August 5, 1885. It took a little less than 9 months to build, and work ended on April 22, 1886. Steel lintels are inserted inside the stone pedestal. The metal beams connected to them are directed upward to form an Eiffel frame inside the structure itself.

France made its gift in the summer. The length of the entire structure was almost 34 meters. For transportation, it was disassembled into 350 fragments, which were distributed among many boxes. They were transported to the USA on the ship Isere. After 11 months, the Statue of Liberty appeared near New York, where it was erected in 4 months of work.

The Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled in 1886 in New York. The celebration was attended by Grover Cleveland, then ruling in the United States, and more than a thousand residents and guests of the city.

History of the Statue of Liberty of the United States of America

The Statue of Liberty near New York City sits on its massive granite base inside Fort Wood, built for defensive purposes in early XIX century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the lighthouse service was responsible for the operation of the facility. The US military then took over this role.

On October 15, by decree of the US government, Fort Wood, together with the Statue of Liberty, acquired the status of a monument to the American nation in the United States.

“a symbol of New York and the USA” Jon Dawson / flickr.com

In 1933, the US National Park Service became responsible for the Statue of Liberty. In 1937, the size of the monument grew and began to coincide with the outline of Bedloe. In 1956, the name of the island changed, it acquired a new name - Liberty Island.

In 1982, under the influence of the head of the country, Reagan, a project was created to restore the Statue of Liberty. As a result, an amount of $87 million was collected. In 1984, restoration work began, during which the old torch was replaced with a modern one with gold plating. Another interesting fact is that 24-karat gold was used for plating. In 1986, the renovated Statue of Liberty welcomed everyone to visit it on the occasion of its anniversary.

In early September 2001, due to the tragedy in the Twin Towers, the island, along with the Statue of Liberty, became inaccessible to those wishing to visit it. It was only in 2004 that the Statue of Liberty was again open to the public, but access to the top was still closed.

On July 4, 2009, by order of US President Obama, it became possible to visit the top of the Statue of Liberty. In 2011, the elevators with stairs were updated in honor of the next anniversary. In addition, for the convenience of visitors, an escalator was installed here. In 2012, the Statue of Liberty became fully accessible to New York residents and visitors to the United States.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the symbols of America and New York. It has been attracting tourists for many years and is place of worship among Americans.

Left: The hand and torch of the Statue of Liberty are being created in a studio in Paris, 1876. Right: The head of the Statue of Liberty is being created in a Paris studio, 1880.

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 Centennial 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 labor activity 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 in 1956 in honor of famous statue to Liberty Island.

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 built. 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 Bedlow Island they were put together like a huge construction set and put on 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 an ensemble with a plinth made in classic style by 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 once again permitted, but space is limited so you must book your 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 minutes 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 warm time year and 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.

Facts

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.
List World Heritage UNESCO: The Statue of Liberty was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1984.

Ellis Island

Served from 1892 to 1954 as a transit point for more than 12 million immigrants hoping to start new life in America, Ellis Island is modest and sometimes even squalid, but on the other hand, it symbolizes the fulfillment of desires. 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.

On the day of Satanic Halloween celebrated in the West, we will talk about the statue that has become a symbol of the new Atlantis, as some of the United States of America are called. The Statue of Liberty was officially unveiled in New York on October 28, 1886. What is it dedicated to and who does it represent?

This is what our article is about.

Official story

The sculpture was a gift from France for the 1876 World's Fair and the centennial of American independence. The statue holds a torch in its right hand and a tablet in its 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 Declaration of Independence of the United States. “Freedom” has 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 the earthly gems and heavenly rays illuminating the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (the Western geographical tradition counts exactly seven continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia).

Statue of Liberty in numbers:

Height from the top of the base to the torch 46.05 m

Height from ground to top of pedestal 46.94 m

Height from the ground to the top of the torch 92.99 m

The height of the statue is 33.86 m

Hand length 5.00 m

Index finger length 2.44 m

Head from crown to chin 5.26 m

Face width 3.05 m

Eye length 0.76 m

Nose length 1.37 m

Right arm length 12.80 m

Right arm thickness 3.66 m

Waist thickness 10.67 m

Mouth width 0.91 m

Sign height 7.19 m

Sign width 4.14 m

Plaque thickness 0.61 m

The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.

The total weight of copper used to cast the statue is 31 tons

Its total weight steel structure 125 tons.

Total weight concrete base 27,000 tons.

The statue was built from thin sheets copper minted in wooden forms. 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, houses an exhibition on the history of the statue. The museum can be reached by elevator.

The territory of Liberty Island was originally part of the State of New Jersey, was subsequently administered by New York, and is currently under federal administration. Until 1956, the island was called “Bedloe’s Island,” although it was also called “Liberty Island” since the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1883, American poet Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus" ( The New Colossus), dedicated to the Statue of Liberty. 20 years later, in 1903, it was engraved on a bronze plate and mounted on the wall in the museum, located in the pedestal of the statue. The famous last lines of "Freedom":

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

In the Russian translation by V. Lazaris:

“To you, ancient lands,” she shouts, silent
Without opening my lips, I live in empty luxury,
And give it to me from the bottomless depths
Our outcasts, our downtrodden people,
Send me the outcasts, the homeless,
I’ll give them a golden candle at the door!”

In a translation closer to the text:

“Leave, O ancient lands, the praise of centuries to yourself!”
Calls silently. "Give me your tired people,
All those longing to breathe freely, abandoned in need,
From the narrow shores of the persecuted, the poor and the orphans.
So send them, homeless and exhausted, to me,
I raise my torch at the golden gate!”

What does the Statue of Liberty really symbolize?

The Statue of Liberty (yes, with a small letter), if you look at it without the propaganda tinsel - this giant woman in a crown with seven rays, with a book and a torch in her hand... who is she? Another fairy tale about the American dream and the ideals of democracy, the national pride of a non-existent American nation?

About the true origin and ordeals of sculpture, about its origins, originating in incompatible cultures or about financial side the existence of a “lady” is not accepted. The fable of a gift in honor of the friendship between France and the United States travels around the world as traditionally as the ruddy Santa Claus, another child of commerce. But we will still turn a few pages of history back and see how everything really happened.

The idea of creating the statue belongs to Frederic Auguste Bartholdi - if you can call the idea of creating an unoriginal monument that can only boast of fragments of classical art and gigantic dimensions. Bartholdi was born in 1834 into a wealthy Jewish family and studied with the famous masters of Paris - without much zeal, but filled with ambitious plans. To get out into the world, Bartholdi resorted to the help of influential relatives who were directly related to the Freemasons.

Quite a lot is known about the influence of Freemasonry on the creation of the United States, from the founding fathers to the symbolism of the dollar. Pyramids, steles, all-seeing eye, etc. also decorate various government buildings in the United States. Let us recall that on July 4, 1776, representatives of their brotherhood signed the Declaration of Independence, which paved the way for the creation independent state(We wrote about this in the article “What is the USA or why was this state created? (Part one)” http://inance.ru/2015/10/usa-01/).

“What is the USA or why was this state created? (Part one)" http://inance.ru/2015/10/usa-01/

However, the most important symbol of the United States - the Statue of Liberty - as a rule, no connections are made with Freemasonry.

Egyptian sketches

In the 70s years XIX century, under the control of Freemasons in Egypt, the construction of the Suez Canal took place. The young, ambitious Bartholdi came here, and his imagination was struck by the majestic monuments of this region, which had survived thousands of years. Thus the idea was born in his head to create something equally colossal and impressive that would forever immortalize his name. Meeting with the head of the construction, Ferdinand Lesseps, Frederick convinced him to petition for his plan. The proposal looked like this: to install a giant statue at the entrance to the future canal - it was supposed to be twice as tall as the Great Sphinx and serve as a lighthouse.

Bartholdi decided not to wait for the muse, but to a quick fix make some kind of model for consideration by the local government (it was he who was credited with the supposed funding of the project). And there was no need to invent anything - this was already done by the ancient Greeks, who created the Colossus of Rhodes - one of the seven wonders of the world - around 280 BC. This huge statue of an athletic youth, looking out to sea, was erected at the entrance to the harbor of the island of Rhodes and was subsequently partially destroyed by an earthquake.

Bartholdi “dressed” the model in Egyptian clothing, placed an amphora in his hand, and crowned his head with a wreath. But Lesseps advised him to use the attributes of the ancient Iranian god Mithra - the god of peace, harmony, and subsequently the sun.

Notes in the margins

Mithra is the Indo-Iranian god of light and sun, close to the ancient Greek Helios. His usual attributes were a chariot and a golden throne. Over time, the cult of Mithra penetrated into Asia Minor and changed significantly. Mithra became the god of friendship, who united, reconciled, protected, and enriched people. He was depicted as a young man in short, flowing clothes and a Phrygian cap. The cult of Mithra at the beginning of our era spread throughout the Roman Empire, enjoyed the patronage of emperors, and was later supplanted by Christianity.

Special photo of the head of the Statue of Liberty at the World's Fair in Paris in 1878.

When in Ancient Rome When the cult of the god Mithra spread, the following legends began to be told about the sun god. He was born from a rock at sunrise. In one hand he held a sword, in the other hand a torch. Mithra fought with the Sun, conquered him and thus became his ally. After that, he subjugated the bull (a symbol of ancient civilization), dragged it into his cave and killed it there. The blood of the bull fertilized the soil, and plants, fruits and small animals grew wildly everywhere.

The Sun God was revered throughout the Roman Empire. This is evidenced even today by four hundred places of sacrifice that have been preserved from those times. The god Mithra was especially revered ordinary people who performed religious ceremonies in his honor. Thanks to the soldiers, Mithraism became known throughout the then world. The places of this cult known today exist mainly as altars in the rocks.

Miter with rays and an eagle, which later became a symbol of the USA

Along with numerous symbols, the signs of the zodiac are engraved on them. The god Mithra himself always takes the place of the Sun on them - the central constellation of the ancient Romans.

Thus the statue received a torch and a seven-rayed crown from the god Mithras, although there is another deity that looks similar. Have you started thinking about the title: “Progress Bringing Light to Asia”? Or replace “progress” with “Egypt”? And then we remembered the popular painting in France “Freedom on the Barricades” by the romantic painter Eugene Delacroix. The word “freedom” was already temptingly attached to the statue project, but the government refused to spend money on a gigantic idol - so Bartholdi returned to France empty-handed.

French incarnation

Eugene Delacroix "Freedom on the Barricades"

The time of creation of the statue coincides with Bartholdi’s entry into the Masonic lodge (Alsace-Lorraine branch) - it was 1875.

And 1876 was approaching—the centenary of American independence. Having heard complaints in a political circle about the lack of genuine masterpieces of art dedicated to Freedom in America, the French senator and member of the same Order of Freemasons, Edouard de Laboulaye, decided to revive the project that had failed in Egypt. All this, of course, had to be correctly presented to the masses: it was decided to “donate” the statue to the States “as a sign of friendship between the peoples of the two countries.”

But the “gift” had to be paid for - both by French and overseas ordinary citizens. An entire Franco-American Union, headed by Laboulaye, was urgently established, and committees were organized in both countries to organize fundraising. Moreover, the head of the French headquarters was none other than our old friend - Ferdinand Lesseps! The fundraising campaign in the States was led by Joseph Pulitzer, later known as the creator of the most prestigious journalism award, and then also the publisher of the New York World newspaper. With an understanding of all the subtleties of influencing the masses, he criticized rednecks and moneybags, turning to ordinary Americans (the businessman was no mistake - this significantly increased the circulation of his newspaper). No one will tell us exactly how much money the friendly gentlemen laundered through this good cause, but in the USA alone, $100,000 was withdrawn from circulation in this way.

The main work on the creation of the statue was done by the famous French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (Bonnickhausen), then known for his adventure in embezzling huge funds for fictitious work during the construction of the Panama Canal, but became famous thanks to the construction in the center of Paris.

Eiffel was also a member of the Masonic lodge, and another lodge brother, who at that time served as Prime Minister of France, helped him get out of the Panama scam.

French engineer Gustav Alexandre Eiffel (left) and Auguste Bartholdi (right)

Eiffel made all the calculations and also designed the iron support of the monument and the supporting frame, which was then sheathed metal sheets. Then Bartholdi took up the matter again, and added several modern details: at the feet of the statue he placed “broken chains of tyranny,” more like the chains with which the statue itself was bound.

IN left hand enclosed the Book of Laws (Declaration of Independence), and now dressed the “lady” in Roman clothing.

Some believe that Bartholdi gave her the facial features of his mother, Charlotte Beiser, although the model was the recently widowed Isabella Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer, an entrepreneur in the field of channel equipment and sewing machines, who sponsored Jewish socialists along with Rothschild.