There’s A Room Hidden Away In The Statue Of Liberty That Citizens Are Forbidden From Visiting
Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has become one of the most famous monuments in New York City and a symbol of the United States as a country. The huge figure has appeared in movies and inspired endless replica souvenirs. Naturally, most of us are familiar with the iconic monument, but it would seem that Lady Liberty still has her secrets, including an entire room that has been hidden from the public for centuries.
Raising Her Torch
The Statue of Liberty officially opened in October 1886. The monument rises 305 feet above the Upper New York Bay from its pedestal on Liberty Island. It shows a woman raising a torch in her right hand while she carries a tablet inscribed with the date that the Declaration of Independence was adopted – July 4, 1776.
Foreign Roots
The Statue of Liberty is undoubtedly an icon of America, but the figure actually has its roots in France. It was there that sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi first came up with the idea of creating a monument to the friendship between France and the United States. However, he had never even set foot on U.S. soil by that point.
Enlightening The World
Bartholdi’s design for the Statue of Liberty was based on a previous idea of his for a monument he’d proposed for the Suez Canal entrance in Egypt. This new design the sculptor planned for the United States was called “Liberty Enlightening the World.” And while Bartholdi had originally eyed up Central Park as a location, he eventually settled on a site that was then known as Bedloe’s Island.
Looking For Support
Bartholdi first traveled to the U.S. in 1871 with the hopes of rallying support for his statue. His journey took him from Washington D.C. all the way to Los Angeles. Despite his efforts, though, the sculptor returned to France without government backing for his monument. Nevertheless, Bartholdi refused to give up on his grand idea.
