Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THAT LITTLE MERMAID
Little Mermaid
MONUMENT
New York has its Lady Liberty, Sydney its (Danish-designed) Opera House. When the
world thinks of Copenhagen, chances are they're thinking of the Little Mermaid. Love her
or loathe her (watch Copenhageners cringe at the very mention of her), this small, under-
whelming statue is arguably the most photographed sight in the country, as well as the
cause of countless 'is that it?' shrugs from tourists who have trudged the kilometre or so
along an often windswept harbourfront to see her.
In 1909 the Danish beer baron Carl Jacobsen was so moved after attending a ballet per-
formance based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid' that he
commissioned sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a statue of the eponymous lady-fish to
grace Copenhagen's harbourfront. The face of the famous statue was modelled after the
ballerina Ellen Price, while Eline Eriksen, the sculptor's wife, modelled for the body.
The Little Mermaid survived the Great Depression and the WWII occupation unscathed,
but modern times haven't been so kind to Denmark's leading lady, with several decapita-
tions and lost limbs at the hands of vandals and protesters trying to make various politic-
al points.
Partly in response to this, Carlsberg commissioned Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard to cre-
ate a new Little Mermaid in 2006. The result is a 'genetically altered' mermaid, sitting
only a few hundred metres from the original. While there's no doubt that Eriksen's cre-
ation may be the prettier sibling, Nørgaard's misshapen creation is arguably truer in spirit
to Andersen's rather bleak, twisted fairy tale, in which the fish-tailed protagonist is phys-
ically and emotionally tormented…and never gets her man.
Christianshavn
The setting for parts of the novel and movie
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow,
Christian-
shavn channels Amsterdam with its glittering canals, outdoor cafes and easy-going atti-
tude. Located on the city's eastern flank, the quarter was established by Christian IV in the
early 17th century as a commercial centre and also a military buffer for the expanding city.
That it recalls Amsterdam is no coincidence, its network of boat-lined waterways is mod-
