It is either visible from the top of the Eiffel Tower, from the Front-de-Seine or the Maison de la Radio, the Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes is a replica of the famous monument in NYC. In fact, the Americans offered the statue to the French in 1889 for the centenary of the French Revolution.
The Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes
The Statue of Liberty in New York City has been standing on its island facing Manhattan since 28 October 1886. Three years later the French people living in the United States offered to their fellow countrymen of France a replica of the statue for the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The inauguration of the statue took place on 4 July 1889 (the American Independence Day) in the presence of French president Sadi Carnot.
The Statue of Liberty was made in bronze from Bartholdi’s plaster model which explained its height of 11.50 metres (compared to 46.50 m for the original in NYC).
The inscription on the tablet of Lady Liberty reads:
IV JUILLET 1776 = XIV JUILLET 1789
(4 July 1776 = 14 July 1789, the dates of the American Declaration of Independence and of the French Revolution).
The statue was placed on the western tip of the Île aux Cygnes (Swans Island), next to the Grenelle bridge which connects the 15th to the 16th arrondissements.
The statue was first orientated so that it would face the Élysée Palace, the French presidential palace. However, at the event of the World Fair of 1937, it was turned to face its American big sister in NYC.
The statue has always been standing on the Île aux Cygnes except from 1998-1999 when it was sent to Japan on the occasion of the ‘Year of France in Japan’.
Views of the Statue of Liberty in Paris:
From the top floor of the Eiffel Tower there is a fine view to the Île des Cygnes, the Grenelle Bridge and the tip of the island where the Statue of Liberty stands:
One of our favourite views is from the Pont Mirabeau where the Statue of Liberty stands in front of the Eiffel Tower. If you look closely you can see the Sacré-Cœur of Montmartre in the distance.
View of the Statue of Liberty from the Pont de Bir-Hakeim (16th arrondissement). In the forefront the RER C bridge spanning the River Seine and in the background the tower of French TV channel TF1:
Other replicas of the Statue of Liberty in Paris
- There are many other replicas of the Statue of Liberty in the French capital: in the Luxembourg Garden, at the Arts and Métiers Museum and at the Orsay Museum.
- Find out more about the other replica of the Statue of Liberty hidden in the 6th arrondissement.
- The Wikipedia page about the Statue of Liberty in NYC.
Did you enjoy reading this post? Let us know by commenting below, we’d love to hear from you!
