The Statue of Liberty - 135 years old: interesting facts about the world famous monument
'05.08.2020'
Vita Popova
The first stone was laid in the base of the Statue of Liberty exactly 135 years ago - on August 5, 1885. Few people know that the symbol of American democracy and freedom was not created in the United States at all. "TVNZ" shared interesting and little-known facts about the world famous monument.
Today, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous monuments in the entire world. But how much do you know about the symbol of American freedom and democracy?
- What do the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower have in common?
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of American democracy and freedom. Located in New York, it dominates the island near Manhattan. However, few people know that the symbol of all of America is a gift to the American people from the people of France as a sign of the friendship that developed between countries during the years of the American Revolution.
The idea of its creation belongs to the French scientist, lawyer and supporter of the abolition of slavery, Edouard René Lefebvre de Laboulaye. “He proceeded from the fact that America and France are linked by old friendly ties. France provided moral and material support to the American struggle for independence - the French general Lafayette even became a national hero of the United States, the author notes. “However, now the statue is not so much the embodiment of friendship between the two peoples as a symbol of freedom and democracy.”
On the subject: Statue of Liberty: the history of the American symbol
Another interesting fact about the statue is that it was made in France, according to the project of the sculptor Frederic Bartholdi, and only collected in America.
Many are interested in who she is, Lady Liberty. Some sources claim that the sculptor drew the sketch from his mother, others consider the French widow of the American entrepreneur Isabella Boyer to be the prototype of the statue.
By the way, the frame for the statue was designed by Gustave Eiffel himself, the famous creator of the Eiffel Tower.
- Who was involved in the creation of the statue?
Not only the French and Americans, but also Russians, Ukrainians and even Germans took part in the creation of the statue. “The fact is that the copper from which the statue is made is of Russian origin. Some sources claim that copper was exported from the present republic of Bashkortostan, others say that the metal was made at the Nizhny Tagil copper smelter. And the statue itself was cast at the French shipyard Martini in the Ukrainian city of Nikolaev. Now the plant is called the Black Sea shipbuilding plant ”, - said the author.
And even Germany left its mark on the statue - its base, which at the time was the largest concrete structure in the world, is made of German cement.
“Now the statue is included in the list of monuments of world importance,” the author added.
- Who financed the construction?
After the start of construction, it became clear that the available budget would not be enough. So a massive fundraising campaign was launched on both sides of the ocean.
In France, 2,25 million francs were raised in the form of charitable donations and various entertainment events and lotteries.
In America, theatrical performances, art exhibitions, auctions and boxing fights were held to raise funds. “However, the Americans were extremely reluctant to part with the funds. Then Joseph Pulitzer, the famous American publisher and journalist, wrote a series of articles on the pages of his newspaper "World", appealing to the 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, ”said the author.
- What is the full name of the statue?
Not everyone knows that the full name of the Statue of Liberty sounds like "Liberty Enlightening the World" (from English Liberty Enlightening the World). In New York, the monument is often called "Lady Liberty".
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Although it was originally planned that the statue will be called "The Light of Asia" (from English. The Light of Asia). “This is because they were going to involve Egypt in the process of creating the monument, but the country's government refused, considering the costs of building the monument too heavy,” the author explained.
- How popular is the Statue of Liberty?
The image of the Statue of Liberty is reflected in various films and computer games. “One of the most vivid images was created in the fantastic film“ Ghostbusters-2 ”, where the heroes of the film bring the statue to life with the help of bright, pure and kind feelings that the citizens of the country have towards the monument,” the author writes.
If you have not yet had time to visit New York, you may have met a copy of the statue (there are 13 of them installed all over the world), for example, in France - there are as many as four copies of the monument in the homeland of the statue.
