Statue+of+Europe

=Statue of Europe=

Brussels
The Statue of Europe, also known as the Unity of Peace, is a resin sculpture symbolizing peace through European integration. The motto of the European Union is about being united through our differences, and the statue reflects this as well. It was was inaugurated on December 9, 2003. Similiarly in 2003, Europe celebrated the Year of Disabilities.

The Statue itself was worked on by visually impaired individuals. It was manufactured, modeled, polished, and painted by these children under the supervision of french artist, Benard Romain. He wanted to demonstrate that disabilities do not limit individuals. It has different colored arms that symbolize the culturally diverse people of people. The arms are lifting a sphere that looks like the EU flag with a peace dove on top.

It is more than five meters tall and weighs nearly 800 kg ( or 16.4 feet tall and 1763.7 pounds). It is located in the Garden of Convent Van Maerlant (the library of Europe commission) at the crossroads at the streets Van Maerlant and Chausse'e d'Etterbeek. This is in the European Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. Reviews from visitors say that the statue itself is beautiful, but that it is surrounded by metal bars which obstruct the view of the statue. This takes away from the atmosphere surrounding the Unity of Peace quite a bit.