At the edge of Copenhagen’s harbour, a bronze figure sits on a rock and looks toward the water. The Little Mermaid is modest in scale, but her setting gives the sculpture a memorable presence: boats, quays and the open waterfront form part of the view. The work stands on the Langelinie promenade, northeast of the historic centre. It is an outdoor landmark rather than a museum exhibit, so visitors encounter it as part of a walk beside the harbour.
Sculptor Edvard Eriksen made the statue in 1913, and brewer and art patron Carl Jacobsen gave it to the City of Copenhagen. Its unveiling on 23 August 1913 began a public life that has lasted for more than a century. The figure draws on Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, first published in 1837, but it is a sculpture in its own right—not a theatrical prop or a reconstruction of a film character. Its quiet pose and waterside location have helped it become one of the city’s most recognizable symbols.
