The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue)
in Danish - 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
Little Mermaid - 1913
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 wants to see the momentous statue of the mermaid.
Celebrated
every year
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 organised by the Danish Swimming Federation.
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.
Brewer
Carl
Jacobsen
The
Maecenas and Brewer of Carlsberg Carl Jacobsen - who
donated the statue of the Little Mermaid to the city
in 1909.
Ballet
Dancer Ellen Price
The
ballet dancer Ellen Price as the Little Mermaid, was
asked to pose as a model to create the mermaid statue.
Disney
and the Little Mermaid
In
1989 Walt Disney Pictures produced an animated version
of the Little Mermaid based upon the fairy tale of H.
C. Andersen.
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. Langelinie
The
Little Mermaid - Video
Hans
Christian Andersen
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. The story of the Little Mermaid has
since been performed in numerous ways all around the
world.
The
Little Mermaid manuscript
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 also included a whole selection
of other original hand written stories from the imaginative
writer. None of the stolen effects were ever found
again.
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 situated at Langelinie next to the Old
Citadel - The Gefion Fountain -
the Resistance Museum and a few blocks from
Amalienborg Palace and Marble Church.
The
Little Mermaid
Address
The Little Mermaid
Langelinie
Copenhagen
Busses - 26
Trains - Østerport station
Distance from the Town Hall square or city centre is about
4-6 km - and expect about 30 min. by walking. From
Langelinie Cruise Terminal and Pier 5-10 minutes walk.
