The legendary mermaid statue is 100 years old

A century ago, on August 23, 1913, the "Mermaid" statue based on the same name story of the famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), was erected in the waters. along the center of the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark , become the symbol of the city of Copenhagen like the Eiffel Tower in Paris (France), or the Big Ben clock tower in London (England).

The idea of ​​building a statue arose in 1909 from businessman Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914), the eldest son of entrepreneur Jacob Christian Jacobsen (1811-1887), also the founder of the famous Carlsberg Brewhouse. Due to the fascination after watching the ballet musical "The Little Mermaid" , adapted from the fairy tale of writer Andersen at the Copenhagen Theater, C. Jacobsen has placed veteran sculptor Edvard Eriksen (1876). -1959) made a bronze statue, simulating the posture as it floated on the mermaid's surface as in the plot, into a gift for his hometown.

At the same time, C. Jacobsen also requested ballerina Ellen Price (1878-1968), who starred in the musical as a model for the statue. But since E. Price doesn't agree to sit naked, only the head with the beautiful face of the actress is used, and the lower part is based on the body shape of wife's sculptor E. . Eriksen is Mrs. Eline Eriksen (1881-1963).

Actress E. Price's lovely face has been a model for the legendary statue.(Photo: stjohnswoodmemories.org.uk)

Approved by Copenhagen City Council, the bronze statue of "Mermaid" is 1.25m high, weighs 175kg and is placed in a sitting position on a rock at the edge of Langelinie Pier, during a long inauguration ceremony. It was exactly 100 years ago with the presence of all members of Copenhagen's Main City, as well as the public and visitors present in the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Over time, the Little Mermaid statue has undergone volatile ups and downs for its historical status. In addition to the typical symbolic ritual of Copenhagen, this famous invisible statue has become the "target" of the thieves, who prefer to sabotage cultural structures, or simply turn become the target of various protest movements. On April 24, 1964, the head of the statue was severed and removed by the members of Situationist's aggressive art movement, leaving the Copenhagen City Hall to be replaced.

"Little Mermaid" is always the gathering point for all the tourists.(Photo: AFP)

More than 20 years later, on the night of July 22, 1984, the right hand of the statue resting on the stone face was taken away, then the police searched eagerly to find it. On January 6, 1998, the statue was once again cut off, then retrieved near the nearby Copenhagen Television Station gate. More dangerous on the night of September 10, 2003, the masked men placed explosives on the statue. In addition, many times the statue was poured with paint, making restorer hard to clean and clean. Even in 2 years 2004 and 2007, the whole body was covered by a Muslim-style hooded skirt, in protest against Turkey's admission to the European Union .

In 2006, Copenhagen City Council decided to move the icon of the Mermaid away from the old place, and set the alarm device to prevent all vandalism, as well as to prevent visitors from climbing up to the seat. take pictures and caresses the image quickly.

Photo: mypostcard-page.blogspot.com

The typical event in a century survived a legendary statue, the first time the "Exotic mermaid" statue traveled across the ocean. For nearly half a year, from May to October 2010, the Little Mermaid icon was present, the Danish booth terminology during the World Expo International Expo 2010, held in Shanghai city (China).

And to satisfy the interest of curious travelers, Chinese-born Danish artist Ai Weiwei has set up a giant screen right above the rock that the statue is located in, with a regular projector all day and night describing the Different observation angles on the Little Mermaid statue.

The celebration of a century of existence The mermaid symbol took place on August 23 last in Copenhagen, which was broadcast live via satellite for a global audience to watch. One of the typical images of the ceremony is the 100 female athletes swimming in the same clothes as the mermaid, while swimming and lining up the figure of 100 in the waters around the immortal monument.