Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. A gift from France, it was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with a metal framework by Gustave Eiffel, and dedicated on October 28, 1886. The statue depicts Libertas, the Roman goddess of liberty, holding a torch aloft in her right hand and a tablet inscribed with July 4, 1776 in Roman numerals. Her left foot steps on a broken chain and shackle, commemorating the abolition of slavery after the Civil War. Visitors can take a ferry to Liberty Island to see the statue up close. Limited numbers can access the pedestal rim and the interior of the statue's crown, offering sweeping views of the harbor. The statue has become a universal symbol of freedom and a welcome to immigrants arriving by sea. The site is administered by the National Park Service and is a major tourist attraction, though public access to the torch has been barred since 1916.