Île aux Cygnes (; ) is a small

artificial island An artificial island or man-made island is an island that has been Construction, constructed by humans rather than formed through natural processes. Other definitions may suggest that artificial islands are lands with the characteristics of hum ...

on the river

Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...

in Paris, France, in the

15th arrondissement The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ...

. It was created in 1827 to protect the bridge named the

Pont de Grenelle The Pont de Grenelle-Cadets de Saumur (), formerly known as ''Pont de Grenelle'' ( English: ''Grenelle Bridge. "Cadets de Saumur''" is the name of the students of the Saumur Cavalry School) is a bridge that crosses the Seine River in Paris, France ...

. It should not be confused with an earlier Île des Cygnes that was attached to the

Champ de Mars Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

in the late 18th century. The uninhabited island is 850 metres (2,789 ft) long and 11 metres (36 ft) at its widest point, making it the third-largest island in Paris. A tree-lined walkway, named L'Allée des Cygnes (Path of Swans), runs the length of the island. Since 2012, there has been a public workout space with bicycles and a climbing wall underneath the

, close to a

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

replica. The island is crossed by three bridges: the Pont de Grenelle, the

Pont Rouelle The Pont Rouelle (, ''Rouelle Bridge'') is a rail transport, railway bridge in Paris that crosses the river Seine. It connects the city's 15th arrondissement of Paris, 15th and 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th Arrondissements of Paris, arrondiss ...

and the

Pont de Bir-Hakeim The — , (), named after the 1942 battle in Libya; formerly the (, (the Bridge of Passy), until 1948 — is a steel open spandrel deck arch bridge on stone masonry starlings, which crosses the River Seine in Paris. It connects the 15th and ...

. It is served by the

Passy Passy () is an area of Paris, France, located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, on the Rive Droite, Right Bank. It is adjacent to Auteuil, Paris, Auteuil to the southwest, and Chaillot to the northeast. It is home to many ...

and Bir-Hakeim Métro stations.

Statue of Liberty replica

A notable feature is a quarter-scale replica of

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi ( , ; 2 August 1834 – 4 October 1904) was a French sculptor and painter. He is best known for designing ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Early life and education Barthol ...

's ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty on the Île aux Cygnes. The replica is 11.50 meters (37 feet 9 inches) tall and faces west in the direction of its larger rendition in New York City. Inaugurated by President

Marie François Sadi Carnot Marie François Sadi Carnot (; 11 August 1837 – 25 June 1894) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1887 until his assassination in 1894. His presidency was marked by a series of poorly handled crises. General Boula ...

on 4 July 1889, nearly three years after its US counterpart, it was donated to the city by the Parisian expatriate community in the US. A restoration project in 1986 marked the

centennial A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of the original (as stated on the plaque). The statue originally faced east, toward the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

, but it was turned west in 1937 for the

world's fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

hosted in Paris that year. At its base is a commemorative plaque, and the tablet in its left hand bears the inscription ''IV Juillet 1776 = XIV Juillet 1789'', recognizing the American

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

and the French

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

. In 1998 to celebrate the "Year of France in Japan", the 14-ton statue was transported to Japan and displayed on

Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo), Rainbow Bridge from central Tokyo. Odaiba was initially built for defensive purposes in the 1850s. The land was dramatically expanded during the late 20th centur ...

, an artificial island in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

, before returning to Paris the following year. The statue was used as a plot point in the 1988 film ''

Frantic Frantic may refer to: Film * ''Frantic'' (film), a 1988 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford * Frantic Films, a Canadian film production company Music * ''Frantic'' (album), a 2002 album by Bryan Ferry * "Frantic" (Metal ...

'', the 2007 film '' National Treasure: Book of Secrets'' and the 2016 film

Lost in Paris Lost or LOST may refer to getting lost, or to: Arts, entertainment, and media Television * ''Lost'' (TV series), a 2004 American drama series about people who become stranded on a mysterious island * ''Lost'' (2001 TV series), a short-lived Ameri ...

. Paris-liberte-eiffel.jpg, The replica

Liberty grenelle inscription.jpg, Plaque on statue

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ile Des Cygnes Landforms of Paris Tourist attractions in Paris Cygnes Statue of Liberty Cygnes Cygnes