Little Mermaid in Copenhagen (Denmark) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.
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One of the most famous symbols of Copenhagen in the world (and, perhaps, of all of Denmark) is the bronze Mermaid. The idea of creating a sculpture of the heroine of the fairy tale of the same name by H. H. Andersen came up with Carl Jacobsen. The son of the founder of the Carlsberg brewery, impressed by the ballet The Little Mermaid, invited the ballerina, who performed the main part, to pose for the sculptor Edvard Eriksen. Ellen Price agreed, but with only one condition: the naked body was sculpted not from her, but from Edward's wife.
The order for the statue was received in 1909 and was delivered on August 23, 1913. The bronze Mermaid, 1.25 m tall, was installed at the entrance to the bay, on the Langelinie embankment.
The main attraction of the capital of Denmark can be reached by commuter trains Re-tog or urban S-tog. The latter run literally every 2-3 minutes and you can take them at the Nørreport metro station. You will need to get off at the Østerport station, then proceed from it to the Langelinie embankment and then follow the signs with the inscription Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid).
The Little Mermaid statue is one of the popular attractions in the city of Copenhagen. The monument depicts the heroine of the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The statue is located at the entrance to the port of Copenhagen on the Langelinje embankment. On August 23, 1913, a bronze statue of the Little Mermaid was installed in Copenhagen, its height is 1.25 m, weight is about 175 kg. The author of the monument was the Danish sculptor Edward Eriksen. The little mermaid sits on a large granite stone near the shore and sadly looks into the depths of the sea.
The sculpture of the Little Mermaid was made by order of a great admirer of art, the famous Danish brewer and philanthropist Carl Jacobsen (owner of the Carlsberg brewery). He was so fascinated by the ballet staged based on this fairy tale by Andersen that he decided to give the citizens of Copenhagen a sculpture of a sea beauty. The beautiful prima ballerina Ellen Price, who worked at the Royal Opera and Ballet Theatre, posed for the sculpture's author.
Many times the city's famous landmark has been the object of vandalism. The monument to the Little Mermaid was doused with paint, their arms were cut off, they were beheaded, they were torn off the pedestal, but each time the sculpture was restored. In 2010, the sculpture was presented for the first time at the World Exhibition in Shanghai. During the absence of the Little Mermaid sculpture, a video installation created by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was located at the installation site.
Today, the statue of the Little Mermaid is a symbol of Copenhagen. Everywhere in Copenhagen you can buy postcards, souvenirs, key chains, lighters with the image of the Little Mermaid. Every year a large number of tourists from all over the world come to Denmark to see the world-famous statue.
For more than 95 years, the symbol of Denmark has been the little mermaid, a cute character of the world-famous fairy tale of the same name by the famous Danish storyteller H.-K. Andersen. The Little Mermaid is a small bronze figurine 125 cm tall and weighing 175 kilograms and is located in the port of Copenhagen on a granite pedestal.
The history of this fairy tale character is known to all. The little mermaid, living in her water world, once, during a shipwreck, saves the handsome prince and falls in love with him, so much so that she can no longer be in her world and live her life. And the little mermaid decides to turn to the witch for help. Having given her her beautiful voice, the little mermaid acquires a pair of legs instead of a tail, the opportunity to be with her prince on land for only a few days and a chance to charm him. However, he falls in love with another and thereby dooms the little mermaid to death. She has a chance to get her life back, but she must kill her lover. But the little mermaid, truly loving the prince, wishes him happiness with his bride and turns into sea foam.
This sad tale of true devotion and pure love was written by Andersen in 1836. After 73 years, a ballet was staged based on The Little Mermaid, which was a huge success with thousands of spectators. Among them was the founder of Carlsberg Carl Jacobsen, a great admirer of art. Both the story itself and the ballet made such a strong impression on him that he asked Edward Erickson, a Danish sculptor, to create a statue of the little mermaid. They say that the wife of the sculpture, who was then a famous ballerina of the royal theater, posed for the sculpture. Subsequently, it was decided to donate the statue of the Little Mermaid to Copenhagen. And on August 23, 1913, a small bronze Mermaid was installed in the capital of Denmark.
After an American journalist told the whole world about this wonderful sculpture dedicated to such a wonderful transformation of a fairy-tale creature into a sweet dumb girl, the Little Mermaid monument became a symbol not only of the capital, but of all of Denmark, the birthplace of the great storyteller. To some extent, the little mermaid also reflects the geographical essence of Denmark, which is an island country and, one might say, surrounded on all sides by seas and oceans.
However, obviously not everyone fell in love with the monument, there were many ill-wishers who made a lot of attempts to desecrate the statue. What the already poor mermaid has not gone through - 8 acts of vandalism. In 1984, vandals abused the sculpture by sawing off its hand, since 1998 they cut off its head 3 times and painted body parts, and in 2003 they even pushed it into the water. But no matter what happened to her, the little mermaid was always restored from the cast left by her creator. After all, it has become close not only to the inhabitants of Copenhagen and means a lot not only to Denmark ... Millions of tourists come from all over the world to look at this wonderful statue, touch it, take a picture and ask for the fulfillment of their most cherished desire.
The Little Mermaid Monument in Copenhagen is a tribute to the glorious storyteller G. H. Anderson and the immortal heroine of one of his fairy tales. The statue of the Little Mermaid is considered a symbol of eternal love, and any self-respecting tourist should certainly take a picture next to the monument.
Where is the monument to the Little Mermaid?
The statue of the heroine of one of the famous fairy tales is symbol Copenhagen and one of the most popular cities.
In principle, there is nothing special and unusual in the statue, but all the same, crowds of tourists tend to this particular monument.
The statue is located in the port of Copenhagen (the capital of Denmark) on embankment Langeline.
You can get directly to the statue of the Little Mermaid by commuter trains or city S-togs. You can also get there by metro - take the Norreport branch, go to the Osterport station, and then follow the signs to the Langeline embankment. Pointers with an inscription Lille Havfrue will lead the tourist directly to the pedestal.
Monument to the fairytale heroine
The Little Mermaid is perhaps one of the most popular works of the Danish storyteller, and the location of the statue depicting the main character of the fairy tale on the seashore has a symbolic meaning.
Photo and description
The monument represents bronze monument 1.25 m high and weighing about 175 kg. The statue is set on a granite pedestal.
The statue depicts a naked young girl with long hair, sitting with her legs crossed on a large stone.
The girl sadly looks away, as if she does not notice the people and times passing by her, and clutches seaweed in her hands.
Story
The monument was erected at the entrance to the bay in 1913. The monument was created by a Danish sculptor Edward Eriksen.
The statue was sculpted specifically by order of a well-known philanthropist and shareholder, an admirer of art, in particular ballet, Carl Jacobsen. After watching and being fascinated by the ballet staged according to the fairy tale by H. H. Anderson, he decided to give the city a monument depicting the beautiful Little Mermaid.
Posed to create the image of the main character prima ballerina Ellen Price, while agreeing to become a model only on the condition that the sculptor will sculpt a nude figure from his wife.
The popularity of the monument was so great that in many cities (, Amsterdam, and others) were created copies of the monument.
In 2010, the statue was moved from Copenhagen to Shanghai to take part in an international exhibition.
Vandalism
Despite the fact that the statue of the Little Mermaid is a symbol of Copenhagen, it repeatedly became the object of vandalism:
In 2017, the Copenhagen administration decided to move the pedestal further into the harbor in order to avoid possible vandalism.
There are many interesting things connected with the Little Mermaid monument in Copenhagen. events and facts.
- The statue was sculpted by the sculptor four years- in 1909, an order was made to create a sculpture, and only in 1913 it saw the light.
- Sculpture has to special meaning Therefore, it is one of the most visited monuments in the world.
- Anyone can order a small copy of the statue on the monument's official website.
- In many cities of the world there are copies of the monument, for which the heirs of Jacobsen and Eriksen demand from the city administration compensation for copyright infringement.
- Little Mermaid Statue most other sites in Denmark were subjected to acts of vandalism.
- The Little Mermaid has a smaller and uglier prototype - a sculpture is installed 400 meters from the monument B. Noergaard. The sculpture depicts a fantastic creature, a bit like a modified mermaid.
- According to Danish mythology, mermaids don't have souls That's why they lure sailors and travelers into the depths of the sea - so they hope to take possession of someone else's soul, to feel what it means to have a soul. On the basis of this legend, the famous fairy tale of H. H. Anderson was created.
- The pedestal is symbol of sacrificial love and always gives tourists the feeling of falling into a fairy tale.
Read in what other souvenirs, besides a copy of the famous sculpture, you can bring from Denmark.
Watch the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Little Mermaid statue in this video:
The monument to the Little Mermaid, which is considered a symbol not only of Copenhagen, but of the whole of Denmark, in August 2013 celebrated its centenary. The heroine of Andersen's famous fairy tale appears before the Danes and tourists in the form of an elegant bronze sculpture mounted on a granite pedestal in the port of Copenhagen. The history of this monument is as difficult as the fate of the heroine of the same name from the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen.
In August 2013, the symbolic monument of Copenhagen turned 100 years old. The Little Mermaid is the heroine of the world-famous fairy tale of the same name by the famous Danish storyteller H.-K. Andersen. The Little Mermaid is an elegant bronze figurine 125 cm high and weighing 175 kilograms, it is located in the port of Copenhagen near the Langelinie embankment.
The history of this fairy tale character is known to all
From the fairy tale, we remember that during a shipwreck, a kind little mermaid falls in love with a drowning prince, saves a young man, but after that she can no longer live without him in her water world. Deciding to turn to the powerful sorceress for help, the kind daughter of Poseidon gives her her beautiful voice, and in return she turns the fish tail into two slender legs. To stay with the prince, the little mermaid had to charm him in just a couple of days, but in the end the young man falls in love with another. The mermaid could return to her former life in the water element only through the death of her beloved, but she wishes him happiness and prefers to turn into sea foam, doomed to forever strive from the sea to the shore, never reaching land.
From fairy tale to ballet
Andersen wrote this touching story in 1836, and 73 years later the storyline of the fairy tale became the basis for the ballet The Little Mermaid. Among the many thousands of spectators of the production was Carl Jacobsen, an art connoisseur and son of Jacob Jacobsen, the founder of the large Carlsberg brewery.
The love story of the little mermaid made such a strong impression on the patron that he decided to sponsor the creation of a statue dedicated to her, entrusting the work to the Danish sculptor Edward Erickson.
The ballerina Ellen Price, who played the role of the little mermaid in the famous performance, posed for the sculptor. Since she did not want to pose naked, the ballerina became a model only for the head of the little mermaid, and Elina Eriksen, who was the wife of the sculptor, posed for the body of the fairy-tale heroine.
Transformation into a symbol of Copenhagen
After the creation, the statue was donated to the capital of Denmark, and in 1913 it was installed on the embankment. A journalist from the United States told the whole world about the unusual sculpture, after which the whole world began to identify the Little Mermaid with Denmark, the birthplace of the famous storyteller. This sculpture also reflects the geographical essence of Denmark, which is an island state surrounded on all sides by expanses of water. Many guests of Copenhagen begin their acquaintance with the Danish capital by visiting and photographing next to the Little Mermaid.
Previously, the stone with the Little Mermaid was located close to the embankment, but since 2007, by decision of local authorities, it was moved further into the harbor in order to prevent tourists from climbing on it and as an attempt to stop the ongoing acts of vandalism.
Interestingly, in its history, the Little Mermaid once left her traditional place for a long time. In 2010, the statue participated in the World Expo in Shanghai. During the transportation, the entire road was accompanied by guards against possible acts of vandalism. The Little Mermaid returned to her homeland three years later, on her centenary in 2013. During the absence of the symbol of the city, a video installation depicting the statue of the Little Mermaid was installed on the site of the monument.
Many, walking along the Langelinia embankment, not far from the monument to the Little Mermaid, will be surprised to find her strange likeness, a kind of mutant little mermaid, rather not a fabulous, but a fantastic creature from the paintings of Salvador Dali. A series of such "genetically modified" sculptures appeared in Copenhagen in 2006. Their author Bjorn Noergaard (Bjørn Nørgaard) tried to show people with a simple example how genetic engineering can harm humanity. The sculptural project of about a dozen different sculptures, including the mutant Little Mermaid, is called "Genetically Altered Paradise".
"Everything will be fine in Denmark as long as the Little Mermaid is safe"
The Little Mermaid has become no less famous symbol for Copenhagen than the Tower of London or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Having become the hallmark of the Danish capital, the sculpture of the Little Mermaid has attracted the attention of vandals more than once. The monument to the fairy-tale heroine has experienced many troubles during its existence, few monuments to famous politicians and famous military leaders have experienced as many.
In 1984, vandals sawed off the Little Mermaid's hand, in 1964, 1990 and 1998 they cut off her head, repeatedly doused paint and painted body parts, on September 11, 2003, someone blew up the monument, knocking the statue over into the sea. In addition to these high-profile acts, there were smaller ones: in protest about Turkey's entry into the EU, unknown people dressed the Little Mermaid in a burqa, on International Women's Day in 2006 a dildo was glued to her hand and the sculpture itself was doused with paint, in 2007 the Little Mermaid was again "dressed up ", this time in a Muslim dress.
But each time the monument was restored, and then installed in its original place to the delight of tourists and to reassure the residents of the city. Every Dane is already convinced that everything will be fine in the country, while the Little Mermaid, cast in bronze, sits on her stone, safe and sound!
