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Join me as I walk from Langelinie Pier, Copenhagen to The Little Mermaid via The Genetically Modified Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid

Arguably one of Copenhagen's most iconic tourist attractions, the sculpture of The Little Mermaid was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale.

Unveiled on 23 August 1913, The Little Mermaid was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen. The sculpture is made of bronze and granite and sits in the water at Langelinie Pier.

It was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairytale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land.

Every morning and evening she swims to the surface from the bottom of the sea and, perched on her rock in the water, she stares longingly towards the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince.

Fell in love

Carl Jacobsen fell in love with the character after watching a ballet performance based on the fairy tale at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.

The brewer was so captivated by both the fairy tale and the ballet that he commissioned the sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture of the mermaid.

Inspired by a ballerina

The sculpture was inspired by ballerina Ellen Price, who in 1909 danced the lead role in the ballet The Little Mermaid at the Royal Theatre.

However, Ellen Price would not model in the nude for sculptor Edvard Eriksen. Thus Eriksen’s wife, Eline Eriksen, posed for the sculpture of The Little Mermaid.

The headless mermaid

The little mermaid has several times been the victim of vandalism. Twice she has lost her head, once the arm was sawn off, and several times she has had paint poured on her.

But every time she is rescued and restored, so she can stay in her place by the water and bid travelers welcome to Copenhagen harbor.

The Genetically Modified Little Mermaid

On a new square by one of the old warehouses in the Copenhagen Harbour, 'Dahlerups Pakhus', the Danish professor Bjørn Nørgaard has created a sculpture group called 'The Genetically Modified Paradise'.

The square itself is formed in granit stone with a 400-square-meter fountain. In the fountain Bjørn Nørgaard's sculpture gives his provocative and humouristic view of the postmodern society.

In the centre is a 40 ton triumphal arc with a nine meter tall figure of a genetically modified Madonna. Around her are six other figures: Adam, Christ, Maria Magdalena, Eve, The Tripartite Capital and the Pregnant Man.

The last sculpture has moved into the water bassin on its own small island. This is the abovementioned Genetically Modified Little Mermaid and her location is only a few hundred meters from that of her 'older sister' the well-known Copenhagen landmark of The Little Mermaid.

The Maritime Monument (Danish Søfartsmonumentet), located at Langelinie, close to Langelinie Marina, is a maritime memorial in Copenhagen, Denmark, commemorating civilian Danish sailors who lost their lives during the First World War. The monument consists of a bronze sculpture of a winged female figure, representing Memory, placed on a rhombus-shaped podium with a series of narrative reliefs on its side.

Langelinie Marina

Langelinie Marina was established in the 1890s in connection with the foundation of the Free Port and the Langelinie Quat. Its purpose was to provide the workers from the construction site as well as those from the Burmeister & Wain shipyard on the other side of the harbour with a chance to have a small boat, enabling them to supplement their incomes with a bit of fishing.

Copenhagen rowing clubs have for many years had their base at the marina. Today only B&Ws and DFDS' are left after ØK's passed their premises to Langelinie Marina's Boat Huild.

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