The Statue of Liberty in the United States is the story of the American symbol of freedom and democracy. Famous sculpture of the united states

Yesterday, July 4, the United States celebrated Independence Day, a nationwide holiday dedicated to the birthday of a relatively young but powerful nation. As in many other states, landmark milestones, people and events in the history of the United States have been marked by the installation of a number of monuments, memorials and memorial complexes. Some of them reflected the triumph of the States as a country and the people inhabiting it, some were not ashamed to become an eternal reminder of the black pages of history, Anastasia Belogrivtseva writes for His.

And although most of them are beautiful in themselves, nevertheless, a number of these monumental structures have repeatedly faced criticism from the guardians of ethics and morality. This collection contains both world-famous monuments and memorials that have become symbols of the United States, and less familiar to the world and the American public.

Bunker Hill Monument, Boston

The first battles of the Revolutionary War against the British took place here. And although the latter technically won the battle, the colonists already then, having inflicted huge losses on the imperial army, proved their determination to fight for independence. The Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone here to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1825, and a massive granite obelisk appeared at the site in 1842.

Statue of Liberty, New York

Lady Liberty is one of the most iconic American landmarks, literally a symbol of the country, standing guard in the harbor of New York. The copper statue was designed by sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel as a symbol of friendship between the United States, France and democracy.

After opening in 1886, the Statue of Liberty has become an unspoken symbol of the French emigration living in New York.

Standing soldiers

Not one statue, but a series of more than 2,000 statues erected in the late 19th century. These are monuments to the civil war that caused enormous damage to the United States, both in the North and in the South. All monuments are almost identical, with the exception of details that indicate that the soldier belongs to the troops of the Union or Confederation. Not so long ago, some of them became the subject of disputes between representatives of diametrically opposed political and social trends.

Robert Gould Show and 54th Regiment Memorial, Boston

It is a memorial to the days when Abraham Lincoln issued a special decree allowing African American volunteers to volunteer in the Union Army. Hundreds of such volunteers signed up to volunteer with the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. Although the colonel was initially reluctant to lead the African American soldiers, he soon learned to respect them. Robert Gould Shaw died with almost 200 of his men at the Battle of Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

The memorial was designed by sculptor August Saint-Gaudens, who took 14 years to complete the project, opening it in 1897.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington

Built in 1922, the Lincoln Memorial was part of an extension of the National Mall complex. The complex is opposite the former home of the Confederate General, Robert Lee, with a river flowing between them. A bridge was built between the National Mall and the Lee House, which symbolized the unification of the North and South.

Rushmore, Keyston, South Dakota

When the initiator of the monument in the mountain, South Dakota historian Doan Robinson, turned to sculptor Gutzon Borglum to create a project, he proposed options that consisted of images of four presidents. This caused a heated discussion in society, since there were a large number of those who disagreed with this idea and questioned the identity of the presidents themselves. Particular protest was expressed by local tribes of Native Americans, who considered the sculpture a desecration of their lands. The funds required for the construction of the monument ended in 1941, and since then it has stood unfinished.

Gate of the West, St. Louis, Missouri

The Gateway to the West Arch was designed by Eero Saarinen as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and his ideas for westward expansion.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington

Vietnam veteran Ian Scruggs spent $ 8 million on the memorial, announcing a competition for the best project among young architects. As a result, the memorial complex was designed by the then unknown Maya Lin. The work was completed in 1982 and contains the names of approximately 58,000 soldiers who died during the Vietnam War.

AIDS Memorial Blanket

When the AIDS epidemic swept San Francisco in the 1980s, activist Cleve Jones lost dozens of his friends. This shocked Jones so much that he initiated the creation of a memorial to those who died from AIDS. The result was a symbolic blanket of panels with names and images of a diagram of the houses of the victims. The blanket was first shown on the National Mall in Washington in 1987, and since then nearly 50,000 panels have traveled the world.

Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

In 1995, a terrorist detonated a bomb in the Oklahoma City federal building, killing 168 people, including 19 children. It was the most massive terrorist attack in America before 9/11.

The memorial includes a row of empty chairs - one for each victim, and the names of the survivors are engraved on the remains of the building's damaged wall. The monument was opened in 2000.

Obelisk calling to God
One of the American monuments, which has long been subject to various hoaxes and fanned with conjecture and speculation, is the Washington Monument, whose construction was completed in 1884. This is the memorial to the first President of the United States, George Washington. Between 1884 and 1889, it was the tallest building in the world, and even today it is one of the tallest stone monuments. Long time in the minds of the public, a legitimate question arises why the authors decided to perpetuate the memory of the first president of America in the style of an Egyptian obelisk, which, to put it mildly, does not correspond to traditional American iconography. However, the mysterious shape of the monument is explained only by the obsession with the history and culture of ancient Egypt, which went off scale in the 80s of the XIX century.

However, the obelisk still has its own interesting secrets. For example, the aluminum dome of a monument, which remains invisible to an ordinary observer, has inscriptions on each of its sides. Most of these inscriptions are just the names of the architects and others who worked on the monument, but the eastern side, facing the rising sun, bears the Latin phrase "Laus Deo", which means "Praise God."

In addition, at the base of the monument there are several secret objects that were placed there at the beginning of construction in 1848, including a Bible, copies of the US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, a portrait of Washington, a map of Washington and DC, and one American coin each from that time ...
Mount Rushmore and the Chamber of Secrets
One more business card The United States is Mount Rushmore with relief images of the presidents of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. Construction on Mount Rushmore began in 1927, and the faces of the presidents were carved between 1934 and 1939. The author of the work, Gutzon Borglum, passed away in 1941, and funding for the project ended in the same year. It is known that the original version of the monument was supposed to depict four presidents to the waist, and they remained unfinished. But this was not the only idea that was not implemented.

It is also said that original idea Borglum was that there should be a giant inscription next to the head of Washington, which would list nine of the most significant events in American history. But when one of his staff pointed out that no one could read even such a giant inscription from afar, Borglum decided instead to create a huge chamber called the Hall of Records, which would explain why these four people deserve to be immortalized in the form of huge rocky reliefs.

The construction of the hall was started, but it was not completed either. It is now an empty room, carved into rock, about 75 feet long and 35 feet high, hidden behind the head of Abraham Lincoln. Despite all sorts of insinuations about the gold hidden there, according to official version in the room there are only a few engraving panels made by Borglum himself and that's it ... For security reasons, the hall is inaccessible to visitors, so we can only guess that there actually is.
"Lady Liberty"
The Statue of Liberty is perhaps the most iconic monument in the United States. It is a widely and universally recognized symbol of America's commitment to freedom and democracy. Officially called "Liberty to Enlighten the World," the statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of America in 1886. The symbol of "Enlightenment" is a giant torch, which she holds in her right hand.

It turns out that the torch has a room that tourists could climb into until 1916. However, there is a mysterious story about some German spies who, during the war, blew up the ammunition storage next to the statue, as a result of which several people died, about a hundred were wounded, and Lady Liberty's hand and torch were damaged. The damaged parts did not change until 1984, and the torch, which was virtually completely replaced, was never opened to the public again. Now the highest point of the statue that anyone can climb is its crown.

Another, lesser known fact is what the legs of the statue look like. Indeed, they are quite difficult to see from a wide variety of vantage points. It turns out that she is standing on the broken chains, lifting her right leg to take a step forward. It is believed to symbolize the abolition of slavery in the United States after the Civil War and a dedication to progress.
Abe Lincoln's fascia
The Lincoln Memorial is a rather powerful sculptural representation of one of America's greatest presidents, considered so for his role in preserving the United States and ending slavery.

Naturally, many mystical rumors have been circulating around the monument for a long time. Either his hands show something mysterious in sign language, or the face of Robert E. Lee (Confederate General) or Jefferson Davis (Southern President), with whom Lincoln fought, can be seen on the back of Honest Abe's head ...

Service national parks The US quite rightly notes that these rumors have no real basis. The fact is that many visitors looking for secrets that don't exist often fail to see the strongest symbolism that is actually right in front of their eyes. These are "Fashi" or "Fascia".

The Fachey symbol came to us from history ancient rome... These are the famous Liktor bundles of elm or birch twigs, tied with a leather belt, often with an ax inside the bundle. Fashi is a symbol of the power of unity. One rod will break easily, but when joined together, they are much stronger. The use of fache is intended to symbolize Lincoln's executive power as well as his belief in the strength of a united nation.

Welcome readers of our portal! With this next article, we will try to return to the description of the most interesting and juicy places on our planet after a long break. The choice of an object for the next review did not stand for a long time - the disassembled list of 8 wonders of the world stood too much time without its candidate. In review - Statue of Liberty in the USA. Symbol in the monument to democracy and freedom of all the United States of America.

Statue of Liberty (on English language Statue of Liberty), she is "Freedom illuminating the world" or "Lady Liberty" - a symbol of freedom and democracy in the United States, a giant statue-colossus, made in the style of neoclassicism. The statue is located on Liberty Island, 3 kilometers southwest of Manhattan Island. The special value of the statue was also recognized by the world community - in 1984 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. We also could not pass by such an object of human heritage.

Description of the statue

The giant Statue of Liberty stands on a pedestal. She holds a torch in her right hand, and a tablet in her left. The inscription on the tablet shows the date of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence of the United States (Roman numerals - JULY IV MDCCLXXVI, July 4, 1776 in our manner). One naga steps on the broken chains.

Tablet of the Statue of Liberty

To climb to the top of the statue in its crown, you need to go through 356 steps. You can shorten this excursion by climbing only on a pedestal - 192 steps. In addition to the spiral staircase inside the structure, the visitor can use the elevator.

Inside view

On the heads of the statue is a crown. Its 25 windows symbolize "earthly gems and heavenly rays that illuminate the world" - which sources are not named, but sounds at least funny. But with the rays of the crown, everything is already simpler - there are 7 of them, and they, in turn, symbolize the seven seas and continents. It should be noted that in western world it is considered to be exactly 7 continents. They did not come up with this symbolism before or after the creation of the statue, but the general idea of the crown is a bit strange.

The total height of the statue is 93 meters, the net height of the statue without a pedestal is 46 meters. In the manufacturing process, 31 tons of copper, 125 tons of steel and 27,000 tons of pedestal concrete were used.

Thin sheets of copper 2.57 mm thick were minted in wooden molds. They were used to create the very figure of the statue. To fasten the entire structure inside the statue, a steel frame is provided, which goes into the concrete.

Now from the very high point the statue, accessible to tourists - the crown, offers a magnificent view of New York Harbor. The pedestal houses a history museum, and Liberty Island itself (Liberty Island, or Bedlow Island until 1956) is also recognized as a national monument.

View from the crown

The Statue of Liberty in Harsh Numbers

Sculpture parts
Height from ground to torch tip
Statue height
Hand length
Index finger length
Head from crown to chin
Face width
Eye length
Nose length
Right arm length
Right arm thickness
Waist thickness
Mouth width
Plate height
Plate width
Plate thickness
Height from the ground to the top of the pedestal

A little history of the statue: the beginning

The history of the Statue of Liberty begins from the very known fact- The statue is a gift from France to the United States in honor of the centenary of American independence. And here's how it all went from the emergence of an idea to the state of modern days - read below.

The idea of creating the statue belongs to the French thinker, writer and politician Edouard René Lefebvre. As the president of the anti-slavery society in France, he was very impressed by the victory in the civil war in the United States of the fighters against the slave system. According to the testimony of the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, this idea appeared in Lefebvre in 1865.

The existing policy of Napoleon III did not allow starting such a project. Therefore, progress resumed only in the late 1860s. The sculptor Bartholdi had ideas for creating a majestic colossus before. Initially, the project was proposed for Egypt, but budgets did not pull the transportation and installation of the statue. The 100th anniversary of independence in the United States was another excellent reason for creating a high-level project.

The project began to stir. Under the agreement, France was supposed to create the sculpture itself, and the USA - the pedestal. Bartholdi acted as a sculptor. But to create such a massive structure, the help of a great engineer was required - in his place they invited Gustave Eiffel, the future creator of the legendary Eiffel Tower.

From first impressions to opening

Work in Bartholdi's workshop was in full swing. Already in May 1876, at the World's Fair in Philadelphia, the right hand of the future statue with a torch was shown. A visit to this impressive structure was charged 50 cents (not bad money at the time). The hand itself made a huge impression on the visitors of the exhibition. In order not to lead a hand back to France after the exhibition, it was placed in New York's Madison Square Garden.

At the World's Fair in 1876

But the process of creating the statue was not without problems - there was not enough money. To solve this problem, charitable donations, entertainment events, lotteries, theatrical performances, exhibitions, auctions, and boxing fights were carried out.

The World newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer played a special role in fundraising. A person who has made a career from a newspaper peddler, a journalist of small notes to a publishing house owner, should he not understand the current thoughts of the people. Campaigns to raise funds for a new material embodiment of the American idea and dream did not last long - after 5 months of work, the funds were raised. The contribution of this man can hardly be overestimated; the Pulitzer Prize is still one of the most prestigious awards among journalists.

Workshop work

While the statue was being made, by an act of Congress from 1877, General William Sherman approved the site of the future statue - Bedlow Island. The process of choosing a place was not done without the sculptor's recommendations. The place was not chosen by chance - at the mouth of the Hudson, next to Ellis Island, the place where all newly arrived future US citizens arrived, the place where their initial registration was made.

The construction of the pedestal began on August 5, 1885 - on that day the first stone was laid here. The project architect is Richard Morris. Less than a year later - on April 22, 1886 - the pedestal was already completed. In addition, 2 steel beams were built into the masonry, which are connected by anchor beams extending upward as part of the steel frame of the statue. Thus, the pedestal and the statue are one whole, solid, solid structure.

The Statue of Liberty was completed back in 1884, and on June 17, 1885, it was delivered to New York harbor. For transportation, it was previously disassembled into 350 parts and packed in 214 boxes. Note that the assembly process itself took another 4 months. Here he is a real constructor for great people.

The inauguration of the statue took place on October 28, 1886. The discovery was delayed from the idea for 10 years. The ceremony was attended by the President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, who here uttered the phrase that went down in history:

"We will always remember that Freedom has chosen this place as its home, and oblivion will never cover its altar."

After opening

Earlier, Fort Wood was built on the site of the statue (it was built for the war of 1812, of course, not with Napoleon), which has the shape of a five-pointed star. In the center of it, on a pedestal, a statue was installed. On October 15, 1924, Fort Wood and the statue were declared a National Monument. Later, the entire island fell under the square of the national monument.

Slums of early Fort Wood

Even later, the neighboring Ellis Island was also included, on which at first the immigration center was located, where all new arrivals to the country were registered.

View from the ship upon arrival in New York

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan is going to restore the monument slightly tired from time to time. $ 87 million is being raised for this event. Immediately at the beginning of the restoration in 1984, the statue is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. On July 5, 1986, it was reopened to the public.

Restoration of the Statue

Back in 1916, the torch ladder was closed for security reasons. The torch was replaced during the 1986 restoration with a new one covered with 24-carat gold. The old torch was placed at the pedestal. But all the same, the most accessible point for the visitor is the exit to the crown.

Old torch

Everyone remembers September 11, 2001 - the day of the terrorist attack on the World shopping center... The statue and the island were immediately closed to visitors, it was impossible to risk visitors - after all, this is a symbol of the whole of America. Since then, access to the statue has been made more difficult. It was possible to get to the island from the end of 2001, to the pedestal only from August 4, 2004. On July 4, 2009, President Barack Obama opened access to the statue, but with restrictions on the number of visitors per day.

The next installation of new elevators and stairs took place from October 29, 2011 to October 28, 2012. Full access has now been renewed up to the crown.

V this day took place official opening Statue of Liberty in America.
This is a symbol that stands at the mouth of the Hudson in New York harbor and meets and sees off many arriving on the Continent from the Old World))) the statue is often called the "symbol of the United States", "the symbol of freedom and democracy", "Lady Liberty", etc. ...

The statue was created by the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, and the internal supporting structure was designed by Gustave Eiffel. The copper statue of the Goddess of Liberty was donated by France in honor of the centenary of US independence and as a sign of friendship between the two states.

The Statue of Liberty towers over the rooftops in Paris, 1884. (AP Photo / Agence Papyrus) #

According to one version, the model was a French model: the beautiful, recently widowed Isabella Boyer, the wife of Isaac Singer, the creator and entrepreneur in the field of sewing machines. “Before posing, she just freed herself from the presence of her husband, who left her with only the most preferred attributes in society: state ... and children.

The Statue of Liberty was originally planned to be installed in Port Said under the name The Light Of Asia, but the then Egyptian government decided that transporting the structure from France and installing it was too costly for it.

Work on the statue in the studio of the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi in Paris, 1876. (AP Photo / Agence Papyrus) #

By mutual agreement, America was to build a pedestal, and France to create a statue and install it in the United States. However, the lack of money was felt on both sides. Atlantic Ocean... In France, charitable donations, along with various entertainment events and the lottery, raised 2.25 million francs. In the United States, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, auctions and boxing matches have been held to raise funds.

Work on the creation of the statue in the studio of the sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi in Paris, 1880. (AP Photo / Agence Papyrus) #

The statue arrived in New York on June 17, 1886 aboard the French steamer Iseri. It was transported from France to the USA unassembled - it was divided into 350 parts, packed in 214 boxes.

Over the next four months, it was assembled and mounted on a granite pedestal in front of the courthouse at Fort Wood.

The inauguration of the Statue of Liberty took place on October 28, 1886 (in the first photo). The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of the United States.

It is located on Liberty Island about three kilometers from the southern tip of Manhattan, one of the boroughs of New York. The Goddess of Liberty holds a torch in her right hand and a semblance of a book (tablet) in her left. Oddly enough, but geographically the statue is not located in the city of New York.

The inscription on the tablet reads: "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" ("July 4, 1776") - the date of signing the Declaration of Independence. One leg of the statue rests on the broken shackles. The seven prongs in her crown symbolize the seven seas or seven continents. With one foot, "freedom" stands on broken fetters.

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 gems and heavenly rays that illuminate the world. The seven rays on the crown of the statue symbolize the seven seas and seven continents (the western geographical tradition has exactly seven continents: Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia).

The height from the ground to the tip of the torch is 93 meters, the height of the statue itself, from the top of the pedestal to the torch is 46 meters. Index finger length - 2.44 m. Waist thickness - 10.67 m ...)))

The statue was built from thin sheets of copper, minted in wooden molds. The total weight of the copper used to cast the statue is 31 tons, and the total weight of its steel structure is 125 tons. The formed sheets were then mounted on a steel frame. The total weight of the concrete base is 27 thousand tons. The thickness of the copper coating of the statue is 2.57 mm.

In the years 1886-1916, the Statue of Liberty was accessible to tourists who could climb to its very top. From the crown of the statue, there was an expansive view of New York harbor. Now only the stairs to the pedestal are open.

For size comparison.

Spring Temple Buddha, Statue of Liberty, Motherland, Christ the Redeemer statue and "David" by Michelangelo ...

Inside the plinth is the Museum of American Population and the History of the Statue itself. For more than a century of history, the statue has been repaired and improved several times. The last major works took place in 1986, on the centenary of the Statue of Liberty.

In 1984, it was included in the list of sites under the special protection of UNESCO.

Do you know what the American Statue of Liberty and its French original look like?))))

To Hecate. Taking into account certain attributes of the sculpture, a number of authors came to the conclusion that the Statue of Liberty is Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of darkness, horror and night, the patroness of magicians and sorcerers. One mention of her in ancient times was awe-inspiring.

A torch and an original headdress helped to identify Hecate in the image of the Statue of Liberty.

According to Philosophumena, her power extended to a three-part time domain - past, present and future. The goddess drew her witchcraft power from the moon, which has three phases - new, full and old. Like Artemis, she was accompanied by a pack of dogs everywhere, but Hecate's hunt is a night hunt among the dead, graves and the ghosts of the underworld. Food and dogs were sacrificed to Hecate, her attributes were a torch, a whip and snakes.

Yesterday, July 4, the United States celebrated Independence Day, a nationwide holiday dedicated to the birthday of a relatively young but powerful nation. As in many other states, landmark milestones, people and events in the history of the United States have been marked by the installation of a number of monuments, memorials and memorial complexes. Some of them reflected the triumph of the States as a country and its people, some were not ashamed to become an eternal reminder of the black pages of history.

Bunker Hill Monument, Boston

Statue of Liberty, New York

After opening in 1886, the Statue of Liberty has become an unspoken symbol of the French emigration living in New York.

Standing soldiers

Not one statue, but a series of more than 2,000 statues erected in the late 19th century. These are monuments to the civil war that caused enormous damage to the United States, both in the North and in the South. All monuments are almost identical, with the exception of details that indicate that the soldier belongs to the troops of the Union or Confederation. Not so long ago, some of them became the subject of controversy between representatives of diametrically opposed political and social trends.

Robert Gould Show and 54th Regiment Memorial, Boston

The memorial was designed by sculptor August Saint-Gaudens, who took 14 years to complete the project, opening it in 1897.

Lincoln Memorial, Washington

Rushmore, Keyston, South Dakota

Gate of the West, St. Louis, Missouri

The Gateway to the West Arch was designed by Eero Saarinen as a monument to Thomas Jefferson and his ideas for westward expansion.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington

AIDS Memorial Blanket

Oklahoma City National Memorial, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

In 1995, a terrorist detonated a bomb in the Oklahoma City federal building, killing 168 people, including 19 children. It was the most massive terrorist attack in America before 9/11.

The memorial includes a row of empty chairs - one for each victim, and the names of the survivors are engraved on the remains of the damaged building wall. The monument was opened in 2000.

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