Denmark's 'Little Mermaid' heads to China

The statue of the Little Mermaid sits on a rock in the Copenhagen harbour. This small and unimposing statue (the Little Mermaid is only 1.25 metres high) is a Copenhagen icon and a major tourist attraction.The sculpture pictures her as she sits and looks out over the water reminiscing her lost mermaid past.



Denmark's 'Little Mermaid' heads to China


COPENHAGEN (AFP) - – Hundreds thronged the Copenhagen harbour, dancing, singing and waving Danish flags to bid farewell to the Little Mermaid sculpture as she left her perch Thursday to fly to the World Expo in Shanghai.

The iconic statue, inspired by a character created by Hans Christian Andersen in an 1837 fairytale and known as the "old lady of the sea," was bathed in spring sunshine as she was lifted into the air by a giant crane and loaded onto a truck before taking off for an eight-month adventure in China.

"It pains my heart," teacher Christa Rindom, carrying her eight-month-old son Ludvig, said as she watched Denmark's main tourist attraction disappear.

"I will miss her, even if I am proud that she is getting to travel to see the world and to represent Denmark," she told AFP, as Danish and Chinese children's choirs sang in the background.

The Little Mermaid's voyage to Shanghai is contentious in Denmark, where Edvard Eriksen's 1913 sculpture, measuring 125 centimetres (50 inches) and weighing 175 kilos (385 pounds), is considered a national heirloom.

The decision to let her go has been the subject of years of heated debate, especially in Copenhagen where a majority of residents were opposed to allowing her to go up until the end of last year, according to polls.

But the city of Copenhagen, which owns the sculpture, nonetheless decided to send her to the Shanghai World Expo to represent Denmark.

The sculpture will be the centerpiece of the Danish pavilion at the 2010 World Expo and will be set in the middle of a large pool of Copenhagen port water to show that it is clean enough to swim in.

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The Little Mermaid:

The Little Mermaid is a fairy tale in herself. Hans Christian Andersen wrote the story in 1836, later Disney produced the movie, and Copenhagen maintains a statue in her honour. The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen continues to be the most popular tourist attraction in Denmark and one of the most photographed statues in the world. She can be visited by travelers year-round (make sure to check the Weather in Denmark.)

The History of the Little Mermaid:
In 1909, Brewer Carl Jacobsen (founder of Carlsberg Beer) attended Hans Beck's and Fini Henriques' ballet 'The Little Mermaid' which is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale by the same name. Deeply impressed, Carl Jacobsen asked Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture. The 4 ft tall Little Mermaid was unveiled at Langelinje in 1913, as part of a general trend in Copenhagen in those days, using classical and historic figures as decorations in the city's parks and public areas.

The Story of the Little Mermaid:
A sad story indeed. At 15 years old, our little Mermaid (in Danish: Den lille havfrue) breaks the surface of the sea for the very first time and falls in love with the prince she saved from drowning. In exchange for legs, she sells her voice to the evil sea witch - but sadly, she never gets her prince, but is transformed into deadly, cold sea foam instead.

Her Exact Location:
The Little Mermaid sits close to the shore of the cruise harbor "Langelinie" on her granite resting place, in the old port district of Nyhavn. It is a short walk from the main cruise pier, nearby many of Copenhagen’s other major attractions and locations to see the architecture in Copenhagen.

The Little Mermaid also has an official website.
Photographing the Little Mermaid:
When photographing the Little Mermaid statue take a look at the background. If you move somewhat to the left/North of her, you'll get the Holmen area as a background, which is preferable to the industrial cranes you get if you just walk down straight in front of her.

Little known facts about the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen
• The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is a copy; the sculptor’s heirs keep the original at an undisclosed location.
• There are similarities between the Little Mermaid statue and the Pania of the Reef statue on the beachfront at Napier in New Zealand. Pania of the Reef is a figure of Maori mythology.
• In 1961, bra & knickers were painted on her, and her hair was 'dyed' red.