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Ugly Colossus in Puerto Rico: The Statue of Liberty, which nobody wanted (except Trump)

2019-09-20T11:13:33.900Z


It was to be America's new landmark in 1992 - and ended up as a bizarre laugh. After a long odyssey the largest statue of the USA has been built. And hardly anyone has noticed.



You can see the colossus of steel and bronze far and wide. He blows up all proportions: even his proud ship, plowing through a tower of waves, acts like a toy under his feet. Behind it, the mast with three sails and fluttering flag rises into the sky, while the giant looks resolutely into the distance, the rudder in his left hand, the right raised in the air.

The largest statue of the United States is not - as everyone thinks - Lady Liberty in New York, without pedestal 46 meters high. It looks almost dwarfish next to the 126-meter-high Columbus monument "Birth of the New World" by the Georgian-Russian sculptor Surab Tsereteli. That should actually be in New York - if it had gone to Donald Trump.

Chris Kong at Disneyland

It was the era of East-West rapprochement when, at the end of the eighties, Zereteli had an idea: to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1992, he wanted to erect a memorial in the United States. In his homeland, Zereteli was controversial - throughout his career, critics accused him of a "kitsch genius", calling him "provocatively talentless" or what would happen "if Disneyland had to do power PR".

US President George Bush, however, took a liking to Zereteli's work when he visited him in 1990 in Moscow. From three designs for the statue Bush chose his favorite. Zereteli set to work: he had 2750 items with a weight of 544 tonnes made. Only on site should they be put together.

Only - where actually?

It had not been finally agreed. For Zereteli the case was clear: Of course, the discoverer in Columbus in the US state of Ohio had to stand. He already sent his head.

Kolumbophobia

The excitement in Columbus was limited. Especially considering the cost: $ 25 million for transportation and construction alone. Citizens protested against the "ugly and ridiculous" monument. Soon "Birth of the New World" was known here as "Chris Kong". The city refused to pay. Zereteli stopped the further shipment.

His wife Inessa Andronikashvili is one of a Georgian noble family, he had connections with Russian politicians and was regularly considered with lucrative public contracts. At press events, Zereteli drove in the Rolls-Royce. He just wanted to finish his job - even without a fee.

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A present ?: No, thanks!

He had to clean latches: New York was afraid to spoil the skyline with the monument. Fort Lauderdale and Miami declined with thanks. After all, in Baltimore, it was not called "Chris Kong" - but "From Russia with Ugh". And also Cleveland and Boston had rather no need.

Mockery did not last: a district administrator juxte, from the statue could make a great artificial reef, if you immerse them in the sea. Another suggested simply showing his head - and not messing with the rest.

The jubilee year 1992 passed. But Zereteli did not give up: In 1994, he met US President Bill Clinton and brought from Moscow with the model that Bush had selected. But even Clinton did not help him to the deal.

Zero Tolerance for "Zeretelization"

And yet a design by Zereteli was built ...

You can see the colossus of steel and bronze far and wide. He blows up all proportions: even his proud ship, plowing through a tower of waves, acts like a toy under his feet. Behind it, the mast with three sails and fluttering flag rises into the sky, while the giant looks resolutely into the distance, the rudder in his left hand, the right raised in the air.

This giant has been in Moscow since 1997. Is the statue nothing more than a copy of the monument that the US did not want? Zereteli dismissed rumors in 1997 that he had simply put Columbus on the head of Peter the Great when his new memorial was erected for the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy.

In Moscow too, an initiative wanted to stop the construction until the end. The monster is an "insult to the city," said Natalia Samover, representative of an architectural group. Ex-president Boris Yeltsin found the work simply "ugly". Activists even attached explosives to it - but broke off at the last second, for fear of hurting passers-by.

Only Donald Trump praised the artist

Meanwhile, one American stuck to Zereteli and his "great work." He was still pursuing the dream of bringing Birth of the New World to New York. A 30-storey Columbus would fit in well with his construction project on the Hudson's shore - the "Trump Place".

"A big and really cool" was Zereteli, so Donald Trump 1997 in the "New Yorker". But Mayor Rudolph Giuliani came across. He would prevent a "Zeretelisierung" of New York. And again no deal.

Rescue finally came from an outer area of ​​the US: Puerto Rico accepted the gift in 1998. The resort Cataño wanted to set up Columbus on the Bay of San Juan.

But immediately protested residents who were to be relocated for the construction. And critics insisted that Columbus should not be erected a memorial - because it stands for the beginning of the genocide of Native Americans. The Port Authority refused the planning permission, and the aviation authority said the structure would obstruct an entry lane.

Gifts are still too expensive

Finally, Puerto Rico's government withdrew its support. For years, the parts rusted in a recreation park in front of him.

Until an investor decided in 2008 to put the statue in Mayagüez on Puerto Rico's west coast - as the attraction of the Central American and Caribbean Games 2010, a kind of Olympic Games in Central and South America. And maybe the plan would have worked out to make money with the monument. If you had not torn the schedule.

The games came and went, and Columbus remained an unfinished puzzle of steel. Most recently, Mayor Lemuel Soto decided in 2011 to bring the monument to Arecibo, also in Puerto Rico - as the center of an eco-adventure park.

Although US media smiled at the monument only as a "colossal joke", the unbelievable happened on June 14, 2016: "Birth of the New World" was inaugurated in Arecibo. A little rusty tarnished maybe, but perfect. Soon, the "Terra Vista Parkland" with a hotel, bars and balloon tours attract visitors.

Meanwhile, the village Cataño, the first Puerto Rican prospect, had actually found a good life in a life without Columbus. But then came a belated farewell greeting: The Ministry of Finance reminded me that they introduced this statue. But there are still taxes for this: three million dollars.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-09-20

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