Post date: Aug 24, 2013 10:47:54 AM
The world celebrates 100 years of Denmark's iconic Little Mermaid bronze statue.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK (AUGUST 23, 2013) (WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN) - The iconic "Little Mermaid" statue in Copenhagen celebrates its 100th birthday on Friday (August 23).
The 165 centimetre tall bronze sculpture was commissioned in 1909 by the founder of theCarlsberg brewery, Carl Jacobsen, after seeing a ballet performance of "The Little Mermaid" based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.Andersen's fairy tale tells the story of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea when she falls in love with a human prince, a decision for which she ends up having to pay a very high price.
Jacobsen asked sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture of the mermaid, modelled on his wifeEline. Eriksen chose to sculpt the mermaid at the moment when her fish tail is being transformed into legs.
The sculpture pictures the mermaid as she sits and looks out over the water, after never marrying the prince, reminiscing over her lost childhood as a mermaid.
To celebrate, various "little mermaids" appeared in numerous iconic cities around the world, with bodies painted to look like the statue.
"It's fantastic because The Little Mermaid is an icon for Copenhagen and Denmark, and she is so well known around the world that people are interested in celebrating her birthday," said Jan Olsen, head of the National Danish Tourist Board.
Back in Copenhagen, the home of the mermaid statue, one hundred mermaids jumped into the harbour to spell out the number 100 in the famous sculpture's honour.
The "mermaid swim" is among several events taking place in the Danish capital to mark the statue's birthday, which will end with a firework display.
"The Little Mermaid has always been a very good story and has always spoken to people - people have always resonated with this character. At this point, the Little Mermaid has entered a collective consciousness. She's somebody like Mona Lisa, we're never gonna forget about her," said Chantal Tattoli, a journalist from the United States. "I think she symbolises the human need to feel like you're a human being, and that is something everyone can respond to, especially in this day and this age."
Mayor of Culture and Leisure in Copenhagen Pia Allerslev said the sculpture was very important toDenmark and its capital.
"The Little Mermaid is so important to Copenhagen and she is so important to Denmark. It is important for us to celebrate because she attracts so many tourists. And she tells the story about Hans Christian Andersen and she tells the story about Denmark, and all the fairy tales," she said.
The statue was unveiled on August 23, 1913 as a donation from Jacobsen to the City ofCopenhagen and ever since, the Little Mermaid's birthday is celebrated in various ways every year on that day.