Here are 7 Famous Monuments and Statues in the United States

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The United States is one of the most interesting countries to visit. The country offers many tourist attractions, including historical and educational tours. The long history of Uncle Sam’s country did not pass you by. Some of them are symbolized in the form of statues and monuments.

Not only there, in Indonesia we can find the same things, for example such as Monas or the National Monument and the Pancoran Statue in Jakarta. Well, in the United States there are many world-famous monuments and statues. Some of them we will discuss below. When you go to America you can visit these public sites.

1. Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is arguably the most famous sculpture monument in the United States. The statue, which is more than a century old, is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, New York City. If you are enjoying a vacation in New York City, visiting this historical monument can be fun and increase your insight into the history of the country.

The Statue of Liberty has historical importance for the United States. The statue made of copper is a gift from French citizens to Americans who are celebrating the centenary of independence, as well as a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.

This statue was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor. The Statue of Liberty features a female figure in a robe also known as Lady Liberty which symbolizes independence and freedom from oppression. The Statue of Liberty also serves as a welcome monument to visitors, immigrants and returning Americans.

2. Statue of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is the 16th President of the United States and is one of the most famous national leaders in the world. Abraham Lincoln was very instrumental in the life of the American people where he led his people out of the American Civil War, defended the unity of the nation, and abolished slavery.

The statue of Abraham Lincoln is located inside the Lincoln Memorial and was carved by the Piccharelli Brothers. Designed in 1920, this statue is an American national monument built in honor of Abraham Lincoln. This monument is at the west end of the National Mall in Washington, DC, the capital of the United States.

Terdapat banyak cerita rakyat yang terjadi di sekitar patung, termasuk spekulasi bahwa Lincoln menunjukkan inisialnya menggunakan bahasa isyarat, meskipun hal ini dibantah oleh pihak National Park Service.

3. Statue of Mount Rushmore

The statue, located in Black Hills, Keystone, South Dakota, is a Mount Rushmore National Memorial which is a statue carved into a batholith, the granite face of Mount Rushmore. The statue was carved by a Danish-American artist named Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum.

This memorial park, which stretches over 1278 hectares and 1,745 meters above sea level, features the heads of former presidents of the United States, namely George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The statues, which were carved on March 3, 1925, have a height of about 18 meters.

The statue of Mount Rushmore appears frequently in several works of fiction, including Hollywood films. To visit the monument you must first fly or drive across several states of the United States (if your flight arrives in San Francisco or New York City).

4. Statue of The Library Lions

If you like educational tourism, usually your main purpose for visiting a city is to visit museums, cultural centers, and city libraries. Well, New York is also not only famous as a city for shopping for luxury goods, but also as an educational city that has many famous museums and libraries.

In a main branch of the New York Public Library, there is a marble statue of a lion called The Library Lions. Not only does it serve as a mascot for New York’s massive public library system, the lion statue also serves as a famous landmark in New York City.

The Library Lions statue has other names, such as Leo Astor, Leo Lenox, Patience and Fortitude. This statue is also often featured in many films and television shows.

5. Cloud Gate Monument

If you are walking in the City of Chicago, you need to visit one of the famous monuments there called Cloud Gate. The monument, designed by Anish Kapoor, a British artist born in India, is located in the Loop central business district of Chicago, Illinois.

The Cloud Gate Monument is more often referred to as “The Bean” because of its shape that resembles a bean. Construction of the Cloud Gate took place between 2004 and 2006. The monument features approximately 168 discs welded together and made of stainless steel, of which the smooth exterior does not have any visible seams.

The very smooth surface of the Cloud Gate is able to reflect the beautiful city of Chicago skyline. This is one of the places that need to be in your vacation plans in Chicago, USA.

6. Gateway Arch Monument

Gateway Arch is a major landmark in St. Louis, Missouri. The Gateway Arch itself is the tallest arch monument in the world, and the tallest man-made monument in the Western world (192 meters). Clad in stainless steel, the Gateway Arch was built as a monument to the expansion to the west of the United States, and is officially dedicated to the American people.

The Gateway Arch Monument, commonly referred to as the “Gateway to the West” is the centerpiece of Gateway Arch National Park which is a popular tourist destination in St. Louis. This monument was designed by a Finnish-American architect named Eero Saarinen in 1947.

The first construction of the Gateway Arch began on February 12, 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965. The total cost involved was approximately US$13 million (equivalent to $80.6 million in 2018 or approximately Rp. 1.1 trillion). The Gateway Arch Monument opened to the public on June 10, 1967 and is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.

7. Washington Monument

Have you seen the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming? If so, surely you already know the action of the spider man in saving his friends in a high-rise building similar to the National Monument in Washington City. The building is named the Washington Monument which was built to commemorate George Washington, who was the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first President of the United States.

The obelisk-shaped Washington Monument is one of the most prominent structures in Washington, D.C. Built in 1884, the monument stands 169 meters high and offers panoramic views tens of kilometers away as you climb to the top of the tower.

Well, those are some of the most famous monuments and statues in the United States. The country still has many other popular monuments and statues, be it public, religious or otherwise. The majority of the sites mentioned above appear frequently in many works of fiction so you are probably familiar with them. Want to see the sites above in person? Prepare your ticket and Visa first (and other travel costs).