Liberty’s crown reopens, drawing a rush to the top

“The statue is very powerful. It symbolizes liberty and freedom,’’ said Weisinger, whose great-grandparents met Lady Liberty’s gaze as they passed through Ellis Island from Eastern Europe.

Reasons vary for why the crown has been closed for so long, and there are questions about the role terrorism played in that.

After terrorists leveled the World Trade Center just across New York Harbor, the statue was closed to visitors until 2004, when the base, pedestal, and outdoor observation deck reopened.

In May, the Obama administration announced that the crown would once again welcome visitors, albeit cautiously. Starting Saturday, only 30 people an hour will be allowed into the crown, and they will be brought up in groups of 10, guided by park rangers along the way.

New handrails have been installed to help with the climb. Bags, both big and small, are not allowed. Only cameras and cellphones are acceptable.

The National Park Service says the crown remained closed since 2001 because the narrow, double-helix staircases could not be safely evacuated in an emergency and didn’t comply with fire and building codes. Tourists often suffered heat exhaustion, shortness of breath, panic attacks, claustrophobia, and fear of heights, a spokesman, Darren Boch, said.

Representative Anthony Weiner, a New York Democrat, has pushed for years for the crown to be reopened, once calling the decision to close it off “a partial victory for terrorists.’’ He said for it to be off-limits for so long was an embarrassment.