THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

The Statue of Liberty

 The Statue of Liberty , made of copper, was a gift to the people of the United States from the people of France as a gift in the observance of the centenary of liberation of the United States and the colossal neoclassical sculpture was founded on Liberty Island in New York Harbour. It was designed by Frederic Bartholdi. The statue represents a robed female figure representing the idea(  Libertas - the Roman goddess of liberty) of  liberty. The statue was completed in France on July in 1884 and it was taken to the United Nations in 1885. It was a public funding project for both the donor and the donated nations.  

The Statue carries a part of a broken chain in her leg, in her right hand she holds a lighted torch (46 meter long) and in her left hand she holds a book ( tabula anasta - a tablet evoking the law) and on the tablet the date of the American  Declaration of Independence ( 4 July, 1776) is inscribed. The statue is an icon of freedom and a symbolic welcome to the immigrants to the United States from abroad.

• The statue was under the administration of the United States Lighthouse Board up to 1901.  
• Then the  Department of War administered the statue up to 1933.
• From then on 1933 the National Park Service has been in charge of  administering the statue.
• In 1980s the authority felt the urge of restoration of the statue for its deterioration for natural reasons.
• It was closed from 1984-86 and the torch along with internal parts of it was replaced.
• Then for security reasons it was kept closed after the September 11 attack in 2001. It was reopened to a limited number of visitors in 2009.
• On 15 October in 1924 Fort Wood and the Statue of Liberty within it was made a National Monument by Presidential Proclamation.



Ferry  to carry  to the Statue of Liberty

• In 1956 the name of the island was changed to Liberty Island and Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park authority and it became a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.  On July 5 in 1986 the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage  Site and the newly restored statue was reopened to the public on 5 July 1986 for the celebration of her centennial.

• It was decided that for a year long upgrading project from October 29, 2011 the statue would remain closed but the Liberty Island would remain open to the visitors during the restoration.
• The height of the Statue of Liberty is 151 ft (46 meter)
•  The thickness of the copper sheet the statue is made of is 2.4 mm.
• The Statue of Liberty is situated at a distance of 1 km from the landing port. There is a ferry service in operation to carry the visitors there comfortably. Visitors have to pay for the tip.
• For a long span of time the Statue of Liberty has been a land mark as a token of love and a recognition of liberty to an elevated plane with mutual understanding between the two nations. Standing at the entrance it  touches the hearts of the immigrants worldwide and creates a scope of universal fraternity.