Den Lille Havfrue on Copenhagen’s harbour rocks

Den Lille Havfrue, known in English as the Little Mermaid, is a compact bronze figure perched on a granite boulder at the edge of Copenhagen’s harbour, looking out from the Langelinie waterfront towards the open water. Cast by the Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen and unveiled on 23 August 1913, the mermaid links the harbour of Kopenhagen in Denmark with Hans Christian Andersen’s nineteenth-century fairy tale of a sea creature who longs for life on land.Unveiled on 23 August 1913

A small bronze mermaid on a harbour boulder

Den Lille Havfrue sits on a single granite rock along the Langelinie promenade in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen, with the harbour water lapping directly against the boulder and the city’s quay stretching away on either side.Displayed on a rock by the waterside at Langelinie The statue itself is made of bronze and is smaller than many first-time visitors expect, measuring about 1.25 m (4.1 ft) from the base to the top of the figure.A bronze figure about 1.25 m high From the promenade, the mermaid appears almost within arm’s reach, yet she is set just far enough into the water that the boulder reads as part of the harbour edge rather than the paved walkway.

The figure is shown with her tail tucked under her and her upper body turned slightly towards the land, a posture that keeps her body aligned with the curve of the boulder and the line of the waterfront. The bronze surface has taken on a dark patina over the decades, with smoother highlights on the shoulders, knees and tail where weather and countless glances have traced the outlines of the sculpture. Behind and around the mermaid, the harbour opens out towards the entrance to Copenhagen’s port, with moored ships, quays and walkways forming a backdrop that places the small figure within a wider working waterfront.

From Andersen’s fairy tale to Eriksen’s harbour sculpture

The story behind Den Lille Havfrue begins with Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Den lille Havfrue”, first published in 1837, which tells of a young mermaid who gives up her life in the sea in pursuit of a human soul and life alongside a prince.Inspired by Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale In the early twentieth century the tale made the transition from page and stage to sculpture when Copenhagen brewer Carl Jacobsen, heir to the Carlsberg brewery, commissioned a harbour figure based on the mermaid after being captivated by a ballet adaptation at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1909.Commissioned by Carl Jacobsen after a ballet adaptation Jacobsen turned to Edvard Eriksen, a sculptor working in Copenhagen, to realise the figure in bronze.

Eriksen modelled Den Lille Havfrue as a seated mermaid whose form blends human anatomy with the sweep of a fish tail, and the finished bronze was mounted on a granite boulder at Langelinie and gifted to the City of Copenhagen when it was unveiled in August 1913.Gifted to the City of Copenhagen in 1913 The combination of Andersen’s literary origin, Jacobsen’s patronage and Eriksen’s sculpture means that Den Lille Havfrue carries traces of nineteenth-century Danish storytelling and early twentieth-century public art on a single harbour rock. Over more than a century the seated mermaid has remained in the same position along Langelinie, weathering changes in the harbour around her while continuing to represent a specific tale and a specific moment in Copenhagen’s cultural history.

Langelinie promenade and the harbour setting

Den Lille Havfrue stands on the Langelinie promenade north-east of Copenhagen’s historic centre, in the Østerbro district, along a stretch of waterfront that combines quayside paths, low harbour walls and views across the water to docks and harbour entrances.On the Langelinie waterfront in Østerbro The mermaid’s granite boulder rises just off the edge of the promenade, and at high tide the harbour water can surround the stone so that the figure appears to be sitting directly in the harbour rather than on dry land. The harbour here marks the entrance to Copenhagen’s inner port, and from the mermaid’s position the lines of quays, cranes and distant buildings set the statue against an urban-industrial backdrop.

Walking along Langelinie brings Den Lille Havfrue into view gradually, with the boulder and figure emerging from between railings, trees and the low edge of the quay. Nearby, other harbour landmarks and routes emphasise how the statue sits on a working waterfront rather than in a formal square, and the path continues past the mermaid towards further quays and vantage points along the water. The immediate terrain around the statue consists of paving, low steps and uneven rocks close to the waterline, with the boulder itself rising from the harbour so that the mermaid occupies a point between land and sea.

Visiting Den Lille Havfrue: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Den Lille Havfrue stands on the Langelinie promenade in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen, north-east of the historic centre, reached on foot from Østerport station along the harbour edge.
• The terrain around the statue combines paved promenade sections with uneven rocks and a low harbour wall, so accessing viewpoints close to the water involves stepping over stones near the boulder.
• The harbour setting places Den Lille Havfrue within walking distance of other waterfront sights in Østerbro, including quays, harbour paths and views towards the entrance to Copenhagen’s inner port.
• Denmark’s official language is Danish and the currency is the Danish krone.

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Frequently asked questions about Den Lille Havfrue

Where is Den Lille Havfrue located in Kopenhagen?

Den Lille Havfrue stands on a granite boulder along the Langelinie promenade in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen, on the harbour side north-east of the historic centre.On the harbour rocks of Kopenhagen

What should visitors expect when they reach Den Lille Havfrue?

Visitors find a small bronze mermaid seated on a single granite boulder at the harbour’s edge, with uneven rocks and a low quay around her and views across Copenhagen’s inner harbour.

What makes Den Lille Havfrue distinctive among Copenhagen’s landmarks?

Den Lille Havfrue is distinctive as a modestly sized bronze figure dating from 1913 that ties Copenhagen’s working harbour directly to Hans Christian Andersen’s nineteenth-century mermaid tale through a single sculpture on the waterfront.

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