Bangu Statue of Liberty

The world is rotten with replicas of the Statue of Liberty, but a lucky few of them were actually created by designer of the original statue. A simple mall in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro might not seem like the natural place to find one, but nonetheless, there one sits.

Bangu is a neighborhood in the West Zone of Rio, a heavily-populated lower-middle class area. It’s the last place you’d expect to find a sculpture made by the famous Frederic Bartholdi, the French sculptor who designed the even more famous Statue of Liberty in New York City, but against all logic there is one anyway. Originally created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Brazil’s independence, the down-sized version of the statue is made of nickel instead of copper, but retains the original’s green hue.    

The little Lady made its way around a number of locations during its life before finally putting down permanent (so far) roots in Bangu’s Miami Square, near a mall. It would seem to be a very American little square.

There are hundreds of Statue of Liberty replicas around the world, but this is one of the few who were created by Bartholdi himself, and just another example of the enduring popularity of Lady Liberty as a symbol.