The Statue of Liberty

The National monument The Statue of Liberty has proudly stood overseeing the New York Harbour welcoming visitors, immigrants and returning countrymen travelling by ship.

Officially titled Liberty Enlightening the World, the statue commemorates the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and was a gift from France to symbolise the friendship between the two nations established during the American Revolution.

Lady Liberty has become a worldwide symbol of freedom and democracy and is the sight that everyone associates with New York City.

If you are visiting New York then the Statue of Liberty is a must-see. Stay close by at the Marriott New York Downtown for excellent views of the Hudson River and just a few minutes from Liberty Island. Located in the heart of the Financial District you will be in a great location for visiting the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island Ferry, the New York Stock Exchange and Brooklyn Bridge. This modern hotel is perfect for a rest after a busy day sightseeing with in-room movies, weekday newspapers, minibar, high speed internet access, concierge and healthclub.

The Statue of Liberty was designed by French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and the construction was completely funded by donations from the French people. The statue is sheathed in pure copper and hung on a framework of steel designed by Gustave Eiffel, who later went on to design the Eiffel Tower.

The statue represents a woman wearing a stola, a radiant crown and sandals who is trampling a broken chain, and carrying a torch in her raised right hand. A tabula ansata, where the date of the Declaration of Independence JULY IV MDCCLXXVI is inscribed, is held in her left arm. There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal and twenty-five viewing windows inside the crown.

The American Ambassador in Paris received the delivery of the Statue of Liberty on the 4th July, 1884 and after being dismantled into 300 pieces and packed into crates, the 151 foot tall, 225 ton statue was shipped over to New York.

In 1984 the Statue was recognised as a World Heritage Site and a massive restoration project was begun and the Statue was reopened during Liberty Day on her centennial.

At the base of the Statue, a sonnet by poet Emma Lazarus titled “The New Colossus” is inscribed in bronze.