The Statue of Liberty, originally titled       "Liberty Enlightening the World," is one of the world's best known and most beloed landmarks. It stands in New York Harbor, where it has welcomed more than 17 million immigrants arriving on America's shores.

Designed and executed by the French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, the 152 foot high copper-covered statue was a gift to the American people from the French in commemoration of this country's 100th birthday. Bartholdi chose as his symbol the figure of Lady Liberty holding the torch of freedom aloft in one hand and with the other supporting an open olume inscribed "July 4, 1776." At the base of the statue appear the words from a poem by Emma Lazarus, herself an immigrant: "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...."

Work on the statue began in Paris in 1875, and it was shipped to the United States in sections in 1885. Reassembled on Bedloe's Island, now called Liberty Island, the work was uneiled on October 26, 1886, by President Grover Cleeland and Bartholdi. Lady Liberty was completely refurbished in 1986 in time for her own centennial birthday.

The Statue of Liberty was closed to the public following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. The exterior grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island Immigration Museum were reopened in December of that year. The statue itself reopened in the summer of 2004. Safety and security systems have beven improed.

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