The statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. The statue of Liberty is one of the oldest and most popular statues in the world. The statue has been featured in several movies, music videos, documentaries and art museums. You must have seen the statue on screen or the media as growing child, the statue felt surreal and a part of the complex fictional and fantasy world Films are used to whipping up. However, the statue is very real and she is right there in Liberty Island, New York City. The Statue is quite ancient and has been around for over a century. The Statue of Liberty became a to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in 1984.
What does the Statue of Liberty Symbolise
The Statue is a symbol of freedom, independence, friendship and democracy. The Statue was a gift from France to the United States to celebrate the centenary of America’s independence. It is also referred to as the Crown of the lady Liberty. The crown has seven spikes which represent the seven seas which liberty should spread, in essence, it represents liberty for the world.
Statue of liberty History
The history surrounding the Statue of Liberty is one of the many reasons why it is a popular top tourist destination in the United States. The historical statue was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. It is made of copper and was designed by the French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was done by Gustave Eiffel – the man that designed the Eiffel Tower and which the tower was named after.
It was modelled after the statue of the great Colossus that once located at the Greek island Rhodes. The statue was completed in 1884 after nine years of construction in Paris, France. The Statue was commissioned on October 28, 1886. France had aided the United States during the Revolutionary War. In 1865, the two nations held similar political views and circumstances, which prompted Edouard Rene Laboulaye to propose that France symbolized their alliance with the United States.
The Statue
The Statue stands at 151 feet tall with the pedestal it reaches a height of 305 feet. There is a staircase inside the Statue that leads to the crown. The stairs are 354 steps to the top of the crown. it weighs about 225 tons
what does the statue of liberty represent
- Torch – It represents Light shining on the Path to Liberty
- Crown – Symbolises Divinity
- Robe – Symbol of Liberty
- Spikes on Crown – The seven continents and oceans
- Windows in Crown – All the Gemstones on earth
- Broken Shackles – It represents Freedom from Oppression
- Tablet – Law establishment
- Facing Southeast – Welcoming Visitors to the United States
About the Statue of Liberty
The Statue stands at 305 feet high that’s about 93 metres. The statue is the figure of a woman, holding a torch with her right hand on her left hand is Declaration of Independence for the United States of America which is 4th July 1776.
The torch is about 29 feet approximately 8.8 metres which can be accessed through a serviced ladder built inside the right hand which leads to the touch which has a platform that gives a 360 panoramic view of the City of New York.
The statue of Liberty is a top tourist attraction in the U.S because of so many reasons. One of them is a figure of Libertas, a dressed Roman liberty deity. She holds a torch with her right hand over her head together with her manus, and in her manus carries a tabula ansata inscribed in Roman numerals with “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI” (July four, 1776), the date of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. A broken shackle and chain lie at her feet as she walks forward. This is in respect of the then-recent national abolishment of slavery. The sculpture became an icon of freedom, especially for the United States. Soon enough it became a huge tourist attraction in the United States.
Also read: Why You Should Travel and Tour the world
The Statue was made by France while the Pedestal was constructed by the United States Counterparts. The Pedestal was designed by an American architect named Richard Morris Hunt, the. The statue’s pedestal was constructed on the courtyard of Fort Wood which was a fortress built for the Civil War in 1812. It sits on fifty-eight acres of land (about 24 hectares)
Bartholdi was stirred by a French law academician and politician, Édouard René Diamond State Laboulaye, is alleged to have stated in 1865; any monument raised to the United States independence would properly be a joint project of the French and U.S. people. thanks to the post-war instability in France. The sculptors did not start work on the statue till the first decade. In 1875, Laboulaye proposed that the French sponsor the sculpture and hence, the United States provide the location and build the pedestal.
This rich history is basically why some people travel to the other end of the world in New York City, Liberty Island. Visiting the Statue is no ordinary feat itself mostly because the Island is not accessible by every Dick and Harry. The rules on the Island are quite strict as The US Government sees the Statue as a monument to be preserved for generations to come; this is rightly so.
You can’t get there on your own accord even in the unlikely case you have access to a ferry. On Liberty Island, berthing rules are stringent: your boat needs to be empowered to get there. Which is physically impossible because a private company has been given the concession. So, you have to go through the said company to have the pleasure of touring the Island and admiring the port.
Going to the Island of Liberty
It is the “Statue Cruises” society that is permitted to take you there. They have two departures: the principal is at Battery Park, south of Manhattan, and the other is at Liberty State Park, New Jersey (a museum of red stone and gray roofs). The route is the same but the other way around. You go from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Liberty Island to Ellis Island and finally to your port of entry.
Getting started from Liberty State Park means that you’re going to start from Ellis Island. Then the journey is a bit shorter, Liberty Island is actually closer to New Jersey than it is to Manhattan Keep in mind that you don’t have to tour both islands, after visiting the island, you may very well turn back. You will see the beautiful view of the New York skyline, the popular “New York Skyline,” during the tour. The whole view is beautiful, you are advised to soak in as much information as possible with your eyes. There are day tours, evening and even night tours. Each offers a completely different experience.
The Statue of Liberty is a national monument, therefore, there’s a strict and time-consuming security check that makes you good 30 minutes later than you expect. And there are going to be other checks. So, you’re going to need to be really patient and keep your calm.
How to Make a Reservation
You’ve got three options for your tour.
- Single reservation
- Reservation with access to the monumental Statue of Liberty.
- Booking with access to the monumental Statue of Liberty and the crown
The cheapest is the “single reservation” that corresponds to on-site delivery, audio tour provision, and free access to everything on Liberty Island and Ellis Island, as well as for visits to the Museum of Immigration. It’s not a bad offer really. But the “Reservation with the Monument Pedestal Access” is better because it gives you access to the base of the statue, which includes the museum, the old torch, the view of the statue’s inner structure via the ceiling, particularly the glass gazebo, which affords a 360-degree view of New York Bay. The third package is the “Reservation with Crown Ticket” reservation which gives you the opportunity, as well as boarding the crown statue.
How to get to the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is located at Liberty Island. Liberty Island is situated in New York Harbor, and can only be accessed by boat through the concessioner company that manages the tour to the tourist site. The Ferries are operated by Statue Cruises and it takes off from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York and can also be boarded from the Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey all in the United States.
Opening and Closing Time
The ferries depart from 9:30 am and the last set at 3:30 pm. However, the time is usually extended during summer public holidays. The Statue of Liberty is opening and closing time i listed below
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Monday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Tuesday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Wednesday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Thursday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Friday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
- Saturday 8:30 AM – 6:45 PM
Location of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, USA. The address of the Statue of Liberty is “New York, NY 10004, USA”.
Facts About the Statue of Liberty
- The Weight of the statue is about 225 tons
- It sits on fifty-eight acres of land (about 24 hectares)
- It is worth over 150 million dollars
- There are a total of 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of the Statue
- The seven spikes symbolise the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world
- It was a gift from France
- It serves as a lighthouse for ships for 16 years
- The statue receives over five million visitors yearly
- The Statue is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor.
- The total number of steps from the pedestal to the crown of the statue is 354.
- The inscription on the tablet in the hand of the Statue of Liberty reads “JULY IV MDCCLXXVI”. It is the declaration of independence on July 4, 1776.
- It became a national monument in 1924.
- The Statue was dedicated on 28 October 1886
- The Statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculpture and architect
- The Pedestal, on which the Statue was standing, was designed by American Architect “Richard Morris Hunt“.
Other Tourist Sites Close to the Statue of Liberty
- Ellis Island
- East Coast War Memorial
- Castle Clinton
- Battery Park
- Skyscraper Museum
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