36 Monuments Representing Friendship Between the USA & Other Countries (excluding Canada, Japan & Mexico)

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France

G R A V E

1834 - Grave of the Marquis de Lafayette, Picpus Cemetery, 12th arrondissement, Paris (France). Lafayette died 53 years after the Battle of Yorktown (1781) & nine years after his triumphal tour of the USA (1824-25). The dual citizenship of the Marquis de Lafayette [1757-1834] is marked by the US flag on his grave in Paris, courtesy of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Lafayette is buried next to his wife, Adrienne de La Fayette [1759-1807]. /// On July 4, 1917, three months after the USA entered World War I on the side of France & her Allies, US. Army Colonel Charles E. Stanton visited the grave & uttered the famous phrase "Lafayette, we are here." Every Fourth of July, members of the DAR, the Society of the Cincinnati & US embassy officials gather at Lafayette's tomb for a celebration.

France, Poland & Prussia

S T A T U E S

1851? - Lafayette Square, Washington, DC. "A seven-acre public park located directly north of the White House on H Street between 15th & 17th Streets, NW. The Square & the surrounding structures were designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1970. Originally planned as part of the pleasure grounds surrounding the Executive Mansion, the area was called 'President's Park.' The Square was separated from the White House grounds in 1804 when President Jefferson had Pennsylvania cut through. In 1824, the Square was officially named in honor of General Lafayette of France. Lafayette Park has been used as a race track, a graveyard, a zoo, a slave market, an encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812, and many political protests & celebrations. The surrounding neighborhood became the city's most fashionable 18th century residential area - home to a number of Washington personalities including Lincoln's Secretary of State William Henry Seward & South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun. Andrew Jackson Downing [1815-1852] landscaped Lafayette Square in 1851 in the picturesque style. Today's plan with its five large statues dates from the 1930's. In the center stands Clark Mills' equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson, erected in 1853; in the four corners are statues of Revolutionary War heroes: France's General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette and Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau; Poland's General Tadeusz Kosciuszko; and Prussia's Major General Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben."

Switzerland

P L O W

1876 - "Charrue de la Paix" / "Plow of Peace," Salle de l'Alabama / Hall of the Alabama, Hotel de Ville / City Hall,, Geneva (Switzerland). Made for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). /// "Offerte à la Ville et au peuple de Genève après avoir figuré comme symbole de paix à l'exposition de Paris en 1878. Elle fut confectionnée avec les sabres que des officiers américains avaient cédés lors d'un congrès pour la paix tenu en 1872 [sic] à Philadelphie par l' "Universal Peace Union." 1 of 40 monuments in "Peace Symbols" by Zonia Baber (1948), pp. 18-19.

France

S T A T U E

October 28, 1886 - Statue of Liberty / La Liberté éclairant le monde, Bedloe's Island, New York City, New York (USA). "Gift to the USA from the people of France. Depicts a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch & a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue has become an icon of freedom & of the USA." 1 of 40 monuments in "Peace Symbols" by Zonia Baber (1948), pp. 20-21.

S T A T U E

July 4, 1889 - Statue of Liberty, Île aux Cygnes, Paris (France). On a man-made island in the Seine River near the Grenelle Bridge. Its tablet bears two dates: "IV JUILLET 1776" (July 4, 1776: the United States Declaration of Independence) like the New York statue, and "XIV JUILLET 1789" (July 14, 1789: the storming of the Bastille).

Latin America

T R E E

April 26, 1910 - Peace Tree, Organization of American States (OAS), 17th Street & Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "Prominent among the lush vegetation of the OAS patio. A hybrid of fig and rubber. Planted by President William Howard Taft [1857-1930] during the building's dedication ceremonies in 1910." Image shows John Barret (Director General), Bishop Harding, Amb. de la Barra (México), Andrew Carnegie, President Taft, Philander O. Knox (Secretary of State), Senator Elihu Root, James Cardinal Gibbons & Frederick D. Owen. On April 26, 2010, President Barak Obama "planted a new 'Peace Tree' as a symbol of the OAS’s renewed dedication to its core values of good faith and solidarity for the next 100 years." Left image made 01Nov1011 by EWL.

Switzerland

B E L L

1920? - Cloche / Bell, Salle de l'Alabama / Hall of the Alabama, Hotel de Ville / City Hall, Geneva (Switzerland). "Une réplique en miniature de la Liberty Bell de Philadelphie. Cette cloche sonna l'ouverture de la première assemblée de la Société des Nations le 15 novembre 1920 à Genève, siège voulu par le Président américain Thomas Woodrow Wilson.."

United Kingdom

1920 - Statue of Abraham Lincoln, Parliament Square, London (England). By Irish-Americn sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens [1848-1907]. Copy of statue (qv) in Chicago, Illinois (USA). One of 309 London monuments in Kershman (2007), page 65.

1887 - "Standing Lincoln" Statue, Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois (USA). By Irish-American sculptor August Saint-Gaudens [1848-1907]. A favorite of Hull House founder [& Nobel Peace Prize laureate] Jane Addams [1860-1935] who once wrote, "I walked the wearisome way from Hull-House to Lincoln Park ... in order to look at and gain magnanimous counsel from the statue."

Cuba

U R N

1926 - Cuban American Friendship Urn, Potomac Park, 14th Street & Ohio Drive, Washington, DC (USA). "Also called the 'Maine Memorial.' Most obscure memorial in Washington, DC. Location out of the way; the main dedicatory plaque is difficult to see, has small print, and is located eight feet off the ground; and, having climbed up the sides of the memorial to read the plaques, one discovers they are written in Spanish. The marble urn on top once stood atop a column of marble in Havana (Cuba) to commemorate the sailors who lost their lives aboard the USS Maine [in 1898] and the friendship between Cuba and the US. A hurricane in October 1926 knocked the marble column over and the urn was added to this marble plinth and sent to the US. For a number of years it stood outside the Cuban Embassy; then, when relations between the U.S. and Cuba deteriorated [in 1959?], the memorial was moved to this location."

France

September 4, 1938, to May 30, 1942 - Monument à la gloire des Américains / Monument to the Glory of the Americans, Point-de-Grave, Le Verdon, Mouth of Gironde River (France). Near Bordeaux. Expressed gratitude for US help during World War I. 75 meters tall (vs. 45.5 meters for the Statue of Liberty). Cornerstone laid September 6, 1919, by French President Raymond Poincaré [1860-1934]. Dedication (lower left image) attended by John F. Kennedy [1917-1963] representing his father, the US Ambassador in London. Lower right image shows a stele (plaque) about 10 meters high which was erected in 1947 to mark the spot. Its inscription reads: "Ici s'élevait le monument érigé à la gloire des Américains - Aux soldats du général Pershing défenseurs du même idéal de droit et de liberté qui conduisit en Amérique La Fayette et ses volontaires partis de ce rivage en 1777 - Le monument symbolisait la fraternité d'armes et l'amitié franco-américaine - Il fut détruit le 30 mai 1942 par les troupes d'occupation allemandes - Il sera réédifié par le peuple français - They have destroyed it, we shall restore it."

Switzerland

August 1939 - "Armillary Sphere," Ariana Park, Palais des Nations / Palace of Nations, Geneva (Switzerland). 410 cm in diameter. Weighs some 5,800 kg. Also called Celestial Sphere. By Paul Manship [1885-1966]. Presented by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation in memory of the founder of the League of Nations.

June 1, 1950 - "Aero Memorial World War I 1917-18," Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). By Paul Manship [1885-1966]. "Proposed during WW-I by the Aero Club of Pennsylvania. Commissioned by Fairmount Park Art Association."

France

May 29, 1935 - Statute of "La Paix / Peace," "Garden of Normandie," Pinelawn Memorial Park (aka Long Island National Cemetery), Framingdale, Long Island, New York (USA). "Thirteen feet tall gilded statue of a toga-clad woman, one arm raised & offering an olive branch, by Louis Dejean [1872-1954]. [Originally] dominated the center of the [305-foot long] first class dining room of the French liner Normandie [1935-1942]" -- which sank in New York City during World War II. "The sculpture survived & was acquired [when?] by the cemetery after being discovered dismantled in a Brooklyn churchyard." (Bronze medallions from two doors of the Normandie are still in use at Our Lady of Lebanon Marionite Cathedral in Brooklyn, NY.)

Luxembourg

C H A P E L

1944 or later - Chapel, Luxembourg American Cemetery & Memorial, Hamm (Luxembourg). Three miles east of downtown Luxembourg City. "Au-dessus de la porte de la chapelle, une sculpture haute de 7 mètres représente l'ange de la paix, sa main droite levée en signe de bénédiction, la gauche tenant une branche de laurier. Au sommet, une colombe planant sur un nuage, autre signe de paix."

Norway

S C U L P T

1950 - Statue of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Akershus Fortress, near Radhusplassen, Oslo (Norway). Overlooks the harbor. Sculpted by Noreby Stinius Fuller. "FDR is a hero to many Norwegians because he fought to liberate Norway from Nazi tyranny during World War II." /// "Following an invitation by President Roosevelt, Crown Princess Märtha [1901-1954] went to the USA on the USS American Legion, via the then Finnish port city of Petsamo. In the USA, she & her three children initially took up residence in the White House.

Italy

1951 - "Arts of Peace" Equestrian Statues, Arlington Memorial Bridge, Washington, DC (USA). By American sculptor James Earle Fraser [1876-1953]. "Music & Harvest" (left) is a winged Pegasus between a male figure with a bundle of wheat & a sickle & a woman with a harp. "Aspiration & Literature" (right) is another Pegasus flanked by figures holding a book & a bow. The guilded bronze statues are approximately 17 feet tall atop granite pedestals. They were commissioned in l925 & their designs approved in 1933, but the statues were not erected until after WW-II when they were cast & gilded by Italy as a gift to the USA.

Latin America

1958 - Statue of Simon Bolivar, Virginia Avenue, E Street & 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC (USA). "The height of the tip of the sword touching 27 feet makes this eight-ton statue technically the tallest in town. Simon Bolivar [1783-1830] liberated what are now Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Bolivia was named in his honor. Although he was hated at the time of his death, he has since become recognized and honored as the liberator of much of South America." Statue by Felix de Weldon [1906-2003] whoa lso sculpted the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

Latin America

1964 - John F. Kennedy Torch of Friendship, Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida (USA). Contains seals of Latin American countries. "In 1960, The Torch of Friendship monument in Miami was built to signify the passageway for all of Florida’s friends coming from Latin America & the Caribbean. The gas fed flame was meant to act as a welcoming beacon for all new and old immigrants to the nation. [In 1964] it was re-dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy Jr. The burning torch sitting 18 feet above Biscayne Boulevard was then said to be an extension of the burning candle then burning at the fallen president’s gravesite in Arlington. Now days, the candle just doesn’t burn at all! Some say its Miami’s way of expressing disgust with the war going on overseas in Iraq and Iran. Others say that so much construction is going on in Downtown Miami that one or more of the pipes leading into the torch were damaged."

Germany

After June 26, 1963 - Gedenktafel / Plaque, in front of Rathaus Schöneberg, borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg, Berlin (Germany). Commemorates speech by US President John F. Kennedy [1917-1963] on this date to about 450,000 people during which he twice pronounced "Ich bin ein Berliner / I am a Berliner." JFK spoke here because this building served as West Berlin's city hall during the East/West division of the city.

Sierra Leone

Date? - Bust of John F. Kennedy, Freetown (Sierra Leone). World traveler Don Parrish of Dowers Grove, Illinois,seems to be the only person ever to spot this unusual nude bust of JFK & to upload an image to his website, but even Mr. Parrish labeled it incorrectly ("Freetown, Senegal"), thus creating doubt about its precise location (under a highway overpass?).

United Kingdom

May 14, 1965 - Kennedy Memorial, Runnymede (England). Near Magna Carta memorials (see map). "This acre of English ground was given to the United States of America by the people of Britain in memory of John F. Kennedy."

May 15, 1965 - Memorial bust of John F. Kennedy, Marylebone Road, London (England). West of Great Portland Street underground station. By sculptor Jacques Lipchitz. Unveiled by the subject's brother Robert F. Kennedy. Set on a pedestal of polished black granite. An adjacent plaque reads: "This bust of President Kennedy by the American sculptor Jacques Lipchitz was unveiled on the 15th May 1965 by his brother Senator Robert Kennedy. This memorial was subscribed for by over 50,000 readers of the Sunday Telegraph in amounts limited to £1." The bust is a unique cast, but another bust of Kennedy by Lipchitz was installed on 11 November 1965 in Military Park, Newark, New Jersey (USA).

Israel

July 4, 1966 - Yad Kennedy, John F. Kennedy Peace Forest, near Moshav Aminadav, Jerusalem (Israel). On one of the highest hills on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem, Israel, is a memorial to John F. Kennedy, President of the United States. At the southwest outskirts of Jerusalem is Yad Kennedy, reached by following the winding mountain roads past Aminadav Moshav. On top of an 825 m. high mountain is a monument in the shape of a cut tree trunk, symbolizing a life cut short. 51 columns, each bearing the emblem of a state of the Union, plus the District of Columbia, encircle the mountain top memorial. An eternal flame burns in the very centre. The site was opened in 1966 with funds donated by Jewish communities in the USA. The monument and adjoining picnic grounds are part of the John F. Kennedy Peace Forest. Chief Justice Earl Warren arrived for the dedication July 4 of a peace forest and memorial to President Kennedy. Warren chaired the Warren Commission, which was formed to investigate the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

United Kingdom

1969 - Winston Churchill Memorial & Library in the United States, Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri (USA). Includes a museum in the undercroft of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, a 12th century church from the middle of London which was destroyed in the Great Fire of Londonre in 1666, designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677, bombed out during WW-II, and relocated to Fulton in 1964-1969. Right image shows section of the Berlin Wall erected outside the church. Churchill made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College in 1946, and Mikhail Gorbachev gave a speech there in 1992 declaring the end of the Cold War. Visited by EWL.

Germany

1971 - "War or Peace," Kennedy Center, Washington, DC (USA). By Jurgen Weber [1928-2007]. "On the east side of the plaza at the entrance to the Kennedy Center. A gift from the West German government. [Figures representing peace include] a seated female nursing a baby & a male figure standing behind them (represents the family as a shield against War); a group embracing male & female figures dancing to music created by a nearby figure of Pan playing his flute, (represents Peace in the form of dancing lovers); an amphitheater filled with performers such as a conductor, Louis Armstrong & other jazz musicians, can-can girls, Hamlet with his mask, Mephistopheles with his mask of Faust, Pan playing the saxophone, and characters from the Three-Penny Opera with Diogenes carrying his lantern in search of an honest man (represents Peace as a creative arena)."

South Korea

October 3, 1976 - Korean Bell of Friendship, Angel's Gate Recreation Center, 3601 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro, California (USA). Near Los Angeles (whose sister city in Korea is Pusan). Gift from Korea to the people of the USA for the US bicentennial. Entry #80 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

South Korea

Date? - Korean War Memorial, Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona (USA). Across the street from the Arizona state house. "A stylized pagoda with a ceremonial temple bell weighing approximately two tons." Bell probably made in Korea.

China

G A T E

1977 - Friendship Gate, Chinese Cultural Garden, Overfelt Gardens, San Jose, California (USA).

China

G A T E

January 31, 1984 - Friendship Gate, Chinatown, 10th & Arch Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). "An internationally known landmark & symbol of cultural exchange & friendship between Philadelphia & its sister city Tianjin."

China

G A T E

1986 - Friendship Gate, Chinatown, H Street at 7th Street, NW, Washington, DC (USA). Gift from Beijing (China) to its sister city Washington, DC. Said to be the largest gate of its type in the world.

Russia

1986-1991 - Arctic Arc, Cape Dezhnev, Naukan (Russia) & Cape Prince of Wales, Wales, Alaska (USA). A joint project by Michigan sculptor David Barr and Alaskan artist Joe Senungetuk. Two "sculpture installations" evoking a bird, a boat, and a hand extended in friendship. About 60 miles (97 km) apart on each side of the Bering Sea at sites of the first human migrations into North America. According to Barr, "the two sculptures are a peaceful symbol for a border of international tension."

South Korea

1992 - Monument to 100 years of friendship between Korea & the USA, Jayu Park (Freedom Park), Incheon (South Korea). "On May 22, 1882, Korea & America signed a commercial treaty with 14 articles at the Hwadojin Hill where you can view the whole front sea of Incheon. Due to the treaty secluded Korea was known to the world. In 1992, the two countries again gathered to commemorate the 100 years of friendship and erected '100 years of Korea & America Treaty Memorial Tower." The memorial towers are composed of 8 towers with a shape of sail symbolizing human, nature, peace & freedom signifying the long time friendship between two countries. The place where this tower is seated is the previous house lot for John Stone [sic]."

Russia

October 22, 1992 - Peacemakers Monument, Shenandoah University, Winchester,Virginia (USA). Commemorating the handshake between President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev on December 7, 1987.

1990 - Peacemakers Monument, Federation of Peace and Conciliation, 36 Prospect Mira, Moscow (Russia). Commemorating the handshake between President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev on December 7, 1987.

Russia

June 1999 - Alexander Pushkin Monument (left image), The George Washington University, H & 22nd Steets, NW, Washington, DC (USA). Reciprocal for the statue of Walt Whitman that was placed by US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton (right image) at Moscow State University, Moscow (Russia) in October 2009.

October 14, 2009 - Walt Whitman Monument, Moscow State University, Moscow (Russia). Dedicated by US Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton (right image). "Reciprocal for the statue of Alexander Pushkin (left image) that was placed on the campus of The George Washington University in Washington, DC," in June 1999.

Germany

July 12, 2003 - International Peace & Friendship Monument, Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, Texas (USA). Similar monument in sister city Bad Königshofen (Germany).

Date? - Peace & Friendship Monument, Arlington Park, Bad Königshofen (Germany). Celebrates sister city relationship with Arlington, Texas (USA).

Poland

Spring 2004 - Statue of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish Embassy, Washington, DC (USA). Life-sized, weighs approximately 400 pounds. Created by renowned sculptor Jessie Corsaut at the Monterey Sculpture Center in California. Heroic size statue of Paderewski as a young man. "Temporarily installed in the embassy garden until it can be relocated to a permanent public setting in the city." Donated by Harry E. Blythe III, a well known philanthropist, who owns a significant portion of Rancho San Ignacio in Paso Robles, California, formerly owned by Paderewski. Blythe is a lover of Paderewski's music & a collector of his memorabilia. Similar monuments at University of Southern California, at Rancho San Ignacio, & at Jagiellonion University in Krakow (Poland). /// Ignacy Jan Paderewski [1860-1941] was a legendary Polish pianist, composer and statesman. "At the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, which formally concluded WW-I, Paderewski & US President Woodrow Wilson reestablished the borders of Poland with the signing & ratification of the Treaty of Versailles. Shortly thereafter, Paderewski became Poland's Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs."

October 4, 2007 - Paderewski Monument, Flora L. Thornton School of Music, University of Southern Californa, Los Angeles, California (USA).

June 24, 2011 - Paderewski Monument, Institute of Musicology, Jagiellonion University, Krakow (Poland). "Features a replica of a statue of Paderewski donated by Paso Robles resident Harry E. Blythe."

Russia

September 11, 2006 - Grief Tear Memorial, Bayonne, New Jersey (USA). "...opened to the anthems of Russia & the USA. On the bank of the Hudson River, is a split 30-meter bronze plate with a giant tear made of titanium. The names of almost 3 thousand people killed on September, 11, 2001, are engraved on the monument. ...gift of Russian people, so sculptor Zurab Tsereteli who also and his colleagues took all the expenses on its erection up [sic]." Tsereteli also sculpted Good Defeats Evil erected in 1990 at the United Nations in New York City (USA).

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