The Little Mermaid
The famous statue of the Little Mermaid, which stands at the entrance to Copenhagen Harbour, was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen in 1909. He’d been inspired by a ballet based on the famous Hans Christian Andersen story. The statue was created by sculptor Edward Eriksen, who used his wife Eline as a model. Despite being just 1.25 metres tall, it has become a symbol of Copenhagen and a major tourist attraction.
The Genetically Modified Little Mermaid
A more recent addition to Copenhagen Harbour – and just a few hundred metres from her ‘sister’ - is the genetically modified little mermaid, created by Danish professor Bjørn Nørgaard.
Funded by the New Carlsberg Foundation, she was originally part of The Genetically Modified Paradise created for Expo 2000. The other
seven sculptures now stand in the new Dahlerups Pakhus square, in front of
the National Agency of Enterprise and Construction.
Man by the Sea
On Saedding Beach, just north of Esbierg, stand four giant, white concrete figures looking out over the North Sea. The sculpture represents man’s meeting with nature and was produced by Danish artist Svend Wiig Hansen in 1994-5, with the assistance of the New Carlsberg Foundation. “Man by the Sea” has become one of the area’s best known landmarks and, in clear days, can be seen from as far as 10km away.