Visnes Statue of Liberty

This Statue of Liberty replica stands proudly in the village where the original statue’s copper was mined, completing a sort of thematic loop for the iconic statue.

Visnes is a small village with a population of under 600 people, but with a big claim to fame. Its once prosperous copper mine, which opened in 1865 and closed in 1972, was one of the most active mines in Norway and one of the biggest in northern Europe during its day. Despite the tiny population the village’s mine is said to have supplied the copper used to make the Statue of Liberty that now stands off the coast of New York City.

There is some debate over the veracity of the claim, and its verification has been hindered by a fire that destroyed some of the mine’s old records. It is known, however, that at the time of the Statue of Liberty’s creation, the mine was owned by the company Japy Fréres, which donated all the copper used in the famed statue. Having been such a large exporter of copper, it’s easy enough to believe that at least some, if not all, of the copper came from Visnes.

Regardless of the veracity of the claim, the villagers of Visnes are proud of their (alleged) contribution to one of the greatest monuments in the world, and they have their very own Lady Liberty to prove it.