Den Lille Havfrue, Copenhagen’s mermaid on the harbour rock
Published on 09/12/2026 at 10:55 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Den Lille Havfrue, known in English as the Little Mermaid, is a compact bronze figure seated on a harbour boulder off the Langelinie promenade in Kopenhagen, a small sculpture that has become one of Denmark’s most recognisable waterfront sights.bronze statue Cast by Danish sculptor Edvard Eriksen and unveiled on 23 August 1913, the mermaid links the modern city harbour with Hans Christian Andersen’s nineteenth-century fairy tale of a sea creature drawn towards life on land.Opstillet i 1913
A small bronze figure at the edge of the harbour
Seen in person, Den Lille Havfrue is striking because of her modest scale and exposed position rather than any grand plinth or monumental setting. The figure rises only about 1.25 m (4 ft 1 in) from tail to crown, her bronze surface following the curve of a seated mermaid whose upper body is human while the tail sweeps down around the boulder below.Height 125 cm The statue rests directly on a granite rock in the harbour, with the water lapping at its base and the long line of Langelinie’s quay and promenade stretching away along the shoreline towards the city.granite boulder at the edge of Copenhagen’s harbour
Edvard Eriksen’s sculpture shows the mermaid in a moment of transition between sea and land, with the torso modelled in calm, human proportions and the tail still bound to the stone that supports her. The bronze has acquired a patina through more than a century of exposure to salt water and harbour air, giving the figure a surface that shifts between warmer tones and cooler greens depending on light conditions.bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen From the promenade, there is an unbroken view of ships and ferries moving behind the mermaid, so she reads as part of a working harbour rather than a set-apart museum object.small bronze mermaid on a waterside boulder at Langelinie
From Andersen’s tale to a city landmark
The mermaid on the rock in Kopenhagen traces its origin directly to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid”, first published in the nineteenth century and centred on a sea creature caught between her underwater world and a human life at court.depicting a mermaid becoming human Brewer Carl Jacobsen, heir to the Carlsberg brewing family, commissioned Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture inspired by this story, donating the finished work to the City of Copenhagen as a gift that linked literature, patronage and the harbour landscape.Skænket til Københavns Kommune af brygger Carl Jacobsen When the statue was unveiled in 1913 on Langelinie, it joined a waterfront that was entering an industrial phase, with quays and fortifications already shaping the edge of the city.The statue was unveiled on 23 August 1913 on the Langelinie waterfront
Over the decades, Den Lille Havfrue has remained in her original harbour position, fixed to the same granite boulder and aligned towards the entrance of Copenhagen’s port. Her image has become tied to the identity of the city, used in tourism material and local storytelling, yet the statue itself retains the character of a quiet figure at the water’s edge. The combination of Andersen’s nineteenth-century narrative, Jacobsen’s early twentieth-century commission and Eriksen’s bronze casting gives the mermaid a layered cultural background that many visitors recognise even before they reach the promenade.The sculpture was made in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen and was gifted by the Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen
Langelinie promenade and the Østerbro waterfront
Den Lille Havfrue stands on the harbour side of the Langelinie promenade, a stretch of quay and path running along the waterfront on the Østerbro side of Kopenhagen. The statue occupies a point where the promenade curves close to the water, so that the rock supporting the mermaid sits just offshore rather than on the main walkway, with a narrow band of harbour between the stone and the paved edge.sat on a boulder by the water at Langelinie since 23 August 1913 Behind the figure, the line of the promenade connects towards the historic star-shaped fortress of Kastellet and the pier areas where cruise ships and smaller vessels dock, while views across the water reach towards the opposite side of the harbour and the wider Øresund.
The surrounding district, København Ø, combines harbour infrastructure with green spaces and residential streets, so a visit to the mermaid often forms part of a wider walk through the city’s north-eastern waterfront. The nearest railway hub is Østerport station, from which the route towards Langelinie leads through urban streets and paths that bring the traveller gradually closer to the harbour edge.reached on foot from Østerport station At the statue itself, the immediate setting is defined by stone, water and open sky, with the mermaid’s bronze profile framed against passing ships and the low horizon of the port entrance.
Visiting Den Lille Havfrue: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Den Lille Havfrue stands on the harbourfront along the Langelinie promenade in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen, north-east of the historic centre, reached on foot from Østerport station.
- The statue sits on a boulder just off the promenade, with uneven rocks and low harbour walls at the water’s edge, so any closer approach involves stepping over rough stone rather than level paving.
- The surrounding waterfront includes Kastellet fortress and other harbour viewpoints within walking distance, making it straightforward to combine a visit to the mermaid with a wider circuit of the north-eastern shoreline.
- The official language is Danish and the currency is the Danish krone.
Searching for Den Lille Havfrue on social platforms
These links open searches for Den Lille Havfrue on each platform.
Frequently asked questions about Den Lille Havfrue
Where exactly is Den Lille Havfrue in Kopenhagen?
Den Lille Havfrue stands on a granite boulder in the harbour along the Langelinie promenade in the Østerbro district of Kopenhagen, close to Østerport station.
What should travellers expect when visiting the statue?
Travellers find a small bronze mermaid seated on a harbour rock just offshore, with the figure visible from the promenade and the working waterfront of Copenhagen stretching out behind her.
What makes Den Lille Havfrue distinctive among city landmarks?
The mermaid’s combination of modest size, exposed position on a single boulder and direct link to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale gives the statue a character closely tied to Copenhagen’s harbour identity.
