Probably the most famous monument in the entire world, the Statue of Liberty in New York City was gifted in the 1880’s by France to mark the 100th anniversary of US independence. In the years that followed, the statue inspired hundreds if not thousands of copycats across the globe. Perhaps one of the least known replicas of Lady Liberty can be found in Curitiba, lying unassumingly amid parking cars next to a shopping center.
By: Omri Westmark
Date: 21:29 15.12.22
Last Update: 02:21 17.12.23
Motorists who commute along the Avenida Linha Verde, a busy throughfare in the outskirts of Curitiba, will be greeted by a rather unusual sight, a 25-meter-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty. Instead of Manhattan’s scenic skyline, the cloned sculpture towers over the parking lot of a local department store, hilariously detached from any meaningful context.
Founded in 1986, 100 years after the inauguration of New York’s famed monument, Havan is among Brazil’s largest retail chains, boasting over 160 stores in 18 states throughout the country. As part of their marketing strategy, the company erected dozens of replicas of the Statue of Liberty in front of their stores, luring customers from afar.
The largest of which is a 57-meter-tall replica in the resort town of Barra Velha in Santa Catarina state, which upon its installation triggered a great deal of discontent among locals, who regarded it as a grotesque eyesore. Not as nearly as controversial, Curitiba’s Statue of Liberty was inaugurated in 2000, and while neither its details nor its pedestal are anywhere near the real thing, it is still an intriguing object to look at in an otherwise low-key area.
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
photography by: Omri Westmark
