Copenhagen - The Little Mermaid Den lille Havfrue

From the Citadel of Frederikshavn in Copenhagen it is a short distance to the "Little Mermaid" ("Den lille Havfrue") on the Langelinie; it is the official emblem of Copenhagen. The bronze sculpture was created by Edward Eriksen in 1913, based on a theme from one of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. The story says that the little mermaid once came up out of the depths of the sea because she had fallen in love with a prince but, as the prince did not return her love, she was forced to leave the world of humans and return whence she had come.

When, in April 1964, its head was sawn off by some unknown perpetrator the whole of Copenhagen was outraged. Fortunately the moulds used in 1913 had been preserved, so it was possible to give the mermaid a new head.