Little Mermaid - Den Lille Havfrue
The
Little Mermaid is undoubtedly one of the most photographed girls
in the world and is a legendary icon and symbol for Copenhagen
- and the number one tourist attraction in Denmark with over 1
million visitors every year.
A
Gift to the City by Carl Jacobsen
The stature is a gift to the city and donated in 1909
by the Danish brewer of Carlsberg brewery Carl Jacobsen
(1842-1914), after he had attended the ballet performance
about the Little Mermaid at the Royal Theatre, and was fascinated
of the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875)
and play, as well as the female solo dancer Ellen Price
(1878-1968), who performed charmingly in the ballet.
| The
Langelinie Promenade in 1913 - just after the mermaid
was erected and inaugurated - has always been one of the
Copenhageners favourite outing spots. Especially on Sunday’s,
the area is crowded with visitors, who want to see the
momentous statue of the mermaid. |
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| Every
year on the 23 August, the Little Mermaid’s birthday
is celebrated by young mermaids, who will form the number
of years of her anniversary in the clean harbour water.
There is also much festivities on the shore that day.
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Commemorate
the Little Mermaid
As the Maecenas and Brewer of Carlsberg Carl Jacobsen was very impressed
of the ballet corps as well as the solo dancer, and to honour
and commemorate the legend, he decided to immortalise the
Little Mermaid - and asked Ellen Price to be a model for the sculpture,
he had in mind.
Sculptor Edvard Eriksen
To carry out the task of forming a sculpture of the Little Mermaid
- brewer Carl Jacobsen selected a young and talented sculptor Edvard
Eriksen (1876-1959) and asked him to create a draft of
the monument, which was later accepted by the brewer with great
admiration.
The
Final Work
Edvard Eriksen used his own wife Eline Eriksen
as a model to create the head and torso, as the previous model Ellen
Price had some resistance to pose naked in front of the sculptor.
The sculpture of the Little Mermaid was made of bronze and unveiled
on 23 August 1913 at the waterfront of Langelinie
– as Carl Jacobsen felt that the Little Mermaid should be
places on a stone in her natural surrounding by the sea.
The Langelinie Promenade
Since the establishment of the Langelinie Promenade in 1848,
it has been one of the Copenhageners favourite outing and recreational
spot, and especially on a bright sunny Sunday the
Langelinie esplanade is crowded with visitors making their way to
see the momentous statue of the mermaid.
| Hans
Christian Andersen in 1836, when he wrote the manuscript
of the Little Mermaid at the manor of Lykkesholm on Funen.
The story was published as a part of a book collection
for children in 1937, and was a success from the day of
presentation. |
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| A
facsimile of the original "Little Mermaid"
manuscript from 1851 by H. C. Andersen. The original
document of the script was stolen from the H. C Andersen
Museum in 1992, which was a whole concept of stories
from the imaginative writer. |
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The
sad and heart-wrenching story
The story of the little mermaid is written by famed fairytale writer
Hans Christian Andersen and published for the first time in 1837.
The sad and heart-wrenching story in brief is about a mermaid at the
age of 15, who fell in love with a prince she rescued from drowning
and then lost her tail to the evil sea witch, when she tried to win
the prince, but was then transformed into cold deadly sea foam for
the rest of her life.
Location
The Little Mermaid is called (Den Lille Havfrue) in Danish and is
situated at Langelinie next to the Old Citadel
– The Gefion Fountain – the Resistance
Museum and a few blocks from Amalienborg Palace
and Marble Church.
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The
Little Mermaid
Address
The Little Mermaid
Langelinie
Copenhagen
Busses – 26
Trains - Østerport station
Distance from the Town Hall square about 4-6 km - and expect
about 30 min. by walking. From
Langelinie Cruise Terminal and Pier 5-10 minutes
walk.
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