Statue of Liberty
When we talk about New York, the first thing that comes to mind is undoubtedly the Statue of Liberty; an American symbol present in the minds of the entire world population, representing in some ways the “American Dream” that has long accompanied America in everyone’s thoughts.
It is adored and loved, synonymous with freedom called by many “Lady Liberty” it represents Freedom that we want and that nobody can deny us.
An attraction for anyone; just look at the endless queues at Battery Park to understand that this is a common desire for all those who visit the big apple.
The full name of this representative and significant statue is: “Liberty Enlightening the World”. It represents the Roman goddess “Libertas”, which can be deduced above all from her dress and it is a brown statue!, since it is made of copper … Today it is green, but only from the effect of the salt that began to appear in 1900 and already in 1906 it had completely covered the structure.
The statue is a gift from France to the United States for the first centenary of independence. It arrived in the United States by sea in 1883 cases. The first stone was laid on Liberty Island (Bedloe’s Island at the time) in 1884. It was completed in 1885 and inaugurated in 1886. It was partly designed by Gustav Eiffel, who also designed the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The pedestal was built thanks to a “collection” made by the Americans under the appeal of Joseph Pulitzer who with his campaign managed to reach the figure of 100,000.
The torch was replaced in 1984 with one with lower maintenance costs. The original one is visible in the museum inside the pedestal.
The crown has 7 points representing the 7 seas or 7 continents and 25 windows considered “jewels” representing the rays of heaven that shine on earth. To get to the top of the crown, visitors must climb approximately 22 floors (354 steps).
It is 93 meters high including the pedestal and its thickness of a few millimeters.
The statue stands on top of broken chains with the right foot raised, to symbolize his removal from slavery and all kinds of oppression; the table in the hands of lady liberty has the date of the American Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776, engraved in Roman numerals.
In 1984, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is said that since its construction, about 600 lightning strikes have hit it every year.
From 1886 to 1902 the Statue was used as a “lighthouse” for ships entering the New York Bay.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Statue of Liberty became a symbol of immigration as it was the first thing immigrants saw when arriving by sea in the United States.
In case of strong winds, The Statue can swing up to 7.6 cm and its torch of 12 cm!
Incredible American symbol that continues to fascinate and excite anyone who stops in New York.