The story of the little mermaid standing by the waters of the Copenhagen Harbour is based on a fairy-tale by Hans Christian Andersen.  It was written in 1836, and turned into a movie by Disney in the 20th century.  It is a popular attraction for the whole family, no matter of what age, and a famous tourist place of Denmark, and is visited the whole year round.

The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark by Dennis Jarvis

Sculptor

A brewer named Carl Jacobsen went to watch a ballet of the Little Mermaid in 1909, which was also based on the fairy-tale.  He then went to the Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen and asked him to build the sculpture of the mermaid.  She was constructed with half a fish tail and half legs so that visitors would know who she was.  In 1913, she was unveiled at Langelinje and stood four feet tall.  Edvard Eriksen’s wife was the woman who modelled for the statue after the ballerina from the theatre turned Carl down.  She did not want to pose naked, knowing the public would look upon her.

The Mermaid’s Tale

The story of the little mermaid is a sad tale about a fifteen-year-old mermaid who comes out of the sea to fall in love with a prince that she saved from drowning. To get legs to walk around on land she gives her voice to an evil sea witch. Unfortunately, she never finds her prince because the witch betrays her and changes her legs into deadly sea foam instead.

Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark by Dennis Jarvis

The little bronze mermaid sculpture rests on granite stone in Nyhavn, an old port district, where she will always sit next to the shore of the Langelinie Quay or harbour.  She is not far away from many other famous attractions of Denmark. This is the perfect spot for her to rest because it is where she can watch the sailors coming into Copenhagen. The life for the locals here is to visit outdoor bars and restaurants, but they have to keep an eye on the weather. Some chat by the water if it is warm and perhaps sunny, with a beer, looking upon the little mermaid with pride.

Sadly, for the people of Copenhagen the Little Mermaid was no longer where she had lived for about one hundred years.  She was lifted onto a truck where she started her journey to Shanghai for a World Expo.  She was moved there to be the centrepiece of the Danish exhibit.  It was only to be a temporary move at this point, but the residents of Copenhagen wondered if they would ever see their Little Mermaid again.  Many of the older generation had grown up with her, so it was very sad for those people losing a piece of their memories as well as the history.  But in November 2010, the people of Copenhagen rejoiced again as the Little Mermaid came back home to rest in her old spot by the water.

The Little Mermaid is a must see if you visit Denmark. However, you definitely need to find a suitable hotel in Copenhagen (interesting to know is that the Danish term is Lækkert hotel København) for you. Find more travel tips in Channel Voyager.

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Mechelen is situated in the “Flemish diamond” area, a densely populated part of Belgium, among the Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent and Louvain (Leuven). Found Artifacts from the period of La Tene, prove settlement already in the Iron Age (400 BC). Later there were Gallic-Romans in Mechelen and after those there were Germans.

In the 8th century, under the influence of Irish missionaries and preachers St. Rumbold, the residents went to Christianity. St. Rumbold’s Cathedral – Gothic cathedral is one of the landmarks of the city, built between 13th to 16th century, and has 97m high tower with two bells. The Cathedral is registered on UNESCO World Heritage Site.

From the 16th century it comes another important landmark of the city, Small and Large Béguinages (Begijnhof), a unique complex of buildings belonging to Beguines, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mechelen is a picturesque town with its typical atmosphere of winding streets, shops and cafes with a strong Belgian coffee or hot chocolate. In the center you will find a market where you can buy sweets. The best place for shopping is the square Ijzerenleen, which was famous in the Middle Ages for its fish market.

Another interesting tourist place in the city of Mechelen is the square Grote Markt, where you can find a statue of Margaret of York, and three current City Hall buildings: the late Gothic Paleis van de Groote Raad from 16th century, Gothic Belfort from 14th century and Lakenhal from 14th century. The square is surrounded by Renaissance buildings from the 16th century, rococo houses from the 18th century, and is dominated by the already mentioned St. Rumbold’s Cathedral.

In Mechelen you can find many other religious buildings, such as the Baroque basilica Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Hanswijk and other churches.

Other important buildings in Mechelen are the late-Gothic palace of Margaret of York, which now serves as a theater and the Palace of Margaret of Austria, originally the seat of the High Court, today the Palace of Justice. The beautiful Renaissance palace gardens are now accessible to the public.

In 1835, the first railway on the European continent was built between Brussels and Mechelen.

View Mechelen – first railway on the European continent – Belgium in a larger map

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