The Statue of Liberty, the symbolic icon standing watch on Liberty Island, has represented freedom and democracy for more than a hundred years. Originally named "Liberty Enlightening the World," the statue was gifted to the United States by France. Along with her torch and tablet, one of the statue's most striking features is her crown.
The crown's seven spikes, or rays, which some believe symbolize the sun or light of a heavenly nature, actually represent the seven continents and seas of the world.
In 2000, eleven people were arrested for draping banners protesting U.S. occupation of the Puerto Rican island Vieques from the spikes of the crown, accessing them by harnesses.
The twenty five windows in the crown symbolize 25 gemstones found on earth and the heaven's ray's shining on the world. During the restoration project in the 1980s, TRACO, a Pittsburgh-based window and door company, was commissioned to manufacture and replace the windows. Like the originals from a century before, the replacements were handcrafted because each window has a different size, curvature and angle.
After a closure following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the crown is open for visitors. For an additional $3.00 fee, crown tickets grant access to the strenuous 354-step climb, where--due to the small and spiraling nature of the staircase--only ten people are allowed to enter at a time. Climbers are rewarded with expansive views from the windows beneath the crown spikes.
