Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid Statue Has Been Beheaded Twice, Had Her Arm Cut Off, and Been Pushed Into the Water

Most visitors are surprised by how small the statue is. The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) is 1.25 metres tall, sitting on a rock at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen harbour. Commissioned by Carl Jacobsen of the Carlsberg brewing family and unveiled in 1913, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale, it is Copenhagen’s most visited attraction.

It is also, by the assessment of most visitors who come for it specifically, smaller than expected, less accessible than the crowds allow, and something you can actually see properly in under ten minutes if you time your visit right. The best time: before 08:30. The promenade is accessible at all hours. Walk from Osterport S-train station (10 minutes). At 8am you may have the statue essentially to yourself. By 10am the tour buses start arriving.

The statue’s history is more eventful than its modest size implies. The head was sawn off and stolen in 1964; it was never recovered and a new head was cast from the original mould. The right arm was removed in 1984. It was decapitated again in 1998. It was pushed off its rock in 2003. It has been daubed with paint multiple times. The current statue is a combination of repaired original material and replacement casts.

Hans Christian Andersen’s original story is considerably darker than the Disney film. The mermaid does not get the prince. She turns into sea foam. She ascends as a spirit. The statue’s melancholy expression – which most photographs fail to capture due to distance and crowd context – reflects this original ending rather than the cheerful adaptation.

Copenhagen Beyond the Statue

Nyhavn is the canal with the multicoloured merchant houses that appears in essentially all Copenhagen photography. Hans Christian Andersen lived at number 20 for many years. The waterfront restaurants serve herring and open-faced sandwiches (smorrebrod) at tourist prices; the street a block back has better prices for the same food.

Tivoli Gardens, opened in 1843, is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world (Disneyland’s designers visited here for inspiration) and a central Copenhagen institution. It runs May to September and again at Christmas; the gardens are beautiful in evening lighting. Entry costs around DKK 170 for adults without rides.

The National Museum of Denmark (Nationalmuseet) is free and has outstanding Viking and Bronze Age collections. The Trundholm Sun Chariot, a remarkable wheeled bronze sculpture from around 1400 BCE showing a horse pulling the sun, is here and is one of the most significant Bronze Age objects in Europe.

Rosenborg Castle in the King’s Garden houses the Danish crown jewels and is surrounded by one of the city’s best parks. Entry around DKK 130.

Getting Around

Copenhagen’s Metro and S-tog are clean and reliable. Cycling is the local transport mode of choice – the infrastructure is probably the best in Europe. The Copenhagen Card (24h, 48h, or 72h) covers public transport and most museum entry; it pays for itself primarily through museum access.