Île des Cygnes
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Île des Cygnes (English: Isle of the Swans) is a small island in the Seine river in Paris, France, located in the city's 15th and 16th arrondissement. It is an artificially-created island, formed in 1827 to protect the port of Grenelle. It should not be confused with the earlier Île des Cygnes, from which it derives its name; the earlier island was attached to the Champ de Mars in the late 18th century.
The narrow island is 850 meters (2,789 ft) long and 11 meters (36 ft) at its widest point. A tree-lined walkway, named "l'Allée des Cygnes", runs the length of the island.
The island is served by the Passy and Bir-Hakeim Métro stations. It is crossed by three bridges: the pont de Grenelle, the pont Rouelle and the pont de Bir-Hakeim.
[edit] Statue of Liberty
The island's most notable feature is a small-scale replica of the Statue of Liberty, which faces west in the direction of its larger sibling in New York City. This statue, which was inaugurated at its site on November 15, 1889 (three years after its counterpart), was given by the French community living in the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. It initially faced east, toward the Eiffel Tower, but it was turned west in 1937, for the exposition universelle hosted by Paris that year. Its base carries a commemorative plate, and the booklet it holds in its left hand carries the inscription IV Juillet 1776 = XIV Juillet 1789, recognizing the American Independence Day and Bastille Day, respectively. Another statue is sited in Jardin du Luxembourg.
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