For the many
immigrants that flocked from Europe to New York, the Statue of
Liberty was the first image they saw from the USA. The statue was
a gift from the French government for the 100th birthday of America's
Independence.
It was designed by a young French sculptor, who was striving to build
a statue like the great Colossus that once stood at the Greek island
Rhodos. Its face was modeled after his mother's and the story goes that
the body was modeled after a prostitute. The steel framework was made by
Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel
Tower in Paris. It
was constructed in France and sent to the USA in 214 pieces. The biggest
problem was the construction of the pedestal, which had to be paid for by
the Americans. It was only after publisher Joseph Pulitzer published the
names of those who donated money for the project that the funds started
flowing in. Eventually, the statue was erected 10 years late, in 1886.
The Statue of Liberty is 46,5 meters high and together with the pedestal
it reaches 93 meters. It is possible to take the staircase inside the
statue and walk all the way to the head from where you have a nice view on
New York City, but you'll probably have to queue for hours.
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