Why visit
The Statue of Liberty, formally named Liberty Enlightening the World, stands on Liberty Island above the remains of the star-shaped Fort Wood. French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the copper figure, Gustave Eiffel's engineering company developed its iron support, and the monument was dedicated on October 28, 1886.
What to see
Its imagery is deliberately legible: a torch, a tablet dated July 4, 1776, a radiant seven-point crown and broken shackles at the figure's feet. The French funded the statue while American fundraising paid for Richard Morris Hunt's pedestal, making the completed work a joint civic project as well as a diplomatic gift.
Plan your visit
The island's museum contains the original 1886 torch and exhibitions on conception, construction and changing interpretations of liberty. General island access includes the grounds and museum, while the pedestal and crown are separately reserved spaces; together they reveal the monument at radically different scales, from riveted copper skin to the full harbor silhouette.
