The Statue of Liberty is about to get a visit from its "little sister." France is sending a bronze replica of Lady Liberty to the United States. The replica will be on display at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. for the next ten years.
Before it arrives in D.C., the statue will be set up at Ellis Island from July 1 to July 5, where it will sit across the water from its 151-foot tall big sister.
The replica, which is ten feet tall and weighs 992 pounds, has been at the National Museum of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) in central Paris since 2011. It is one of 12 authorized casts of the original 1878 plaster model.
Workers in France packed up the statue during a ceremony on the 77th anniversary of D-Day during World War II. It will then be loaded onto a cargo ship, which is expected to depart from the port city of Le Havre on June 19 and arrive in New York on July 1.
"The statue symbolizes freedom and the light around all the world," said Olivier Faron, general administrator of the CNAM. "We want to send a very simple message: Our friendship with the United States is very important, particularly at this moment. We have to conserve and defend our friendship."