Little Mermaid travels to Shanghai Expo
Travels of Wonderful Copenhagen's Little Mermaid[March 13th 2008]
The Little Mermaid, the iconic symbol of Copenhagen, will be travelling to the 2010 Expo in Shanghai.
The internationally renowned statue has been a landmark in the city known as Wonderful Copenhagen since she was installed in her spot on the Langelinie pier in 1913. Since then she has been a permanent fixture, helping attract millions of tourists to the Danish capital.
But now the Copenhagen City Council has voted to send The Little Mermaid to be the centrepiece of the Danish pavilion at the Expo world exhibition in Shanghai taking place from April to November 2010. Anyone thinking of taking a holiday in Denmark or a city break in Copenhagen then will not be greeted with the familiar sight of The Little Mermaid.
The City Council says the decision to move The Little Mermaid from Copenhagen to Shanghai is a “gesture of cultural generosity” and an invitation to a cultural dialogue between Denmark and China.
The Little Mermaid, from the much loved fairytale by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, will be situated in the Mermaid Pool in the centre of the Danish pavilion. In the pavilion visitors will be able to experience all that’s best about life in Copenhagen and all around Denmark.
They will be able to ride around The Little Mermaid on a city bike like a true Copenhagener or have an organic picnic on the roof garden. The Danish pavilion has been conceived by architects from BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and 2+1 Ideas Agency.
During her time in Copenhagen The Little Mermaid has been beheaded twice and has had her arm cut off. No doubt she will be hoping her time at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai will be rather less eventful.
While The Little Mermaid is away in Shanghai her place in Copenhagen will temporarily be taken over by a sculpture created by a Chinese artist. The City Council is also putting together a programme of activities and cultural events to keep tourists visiting Copenhagen’s waterfront entertained.
“We want to ensure that not only The Little Mermaid but also visitors to the harbour area get a wonderful experience in 2010. We are a welfare society rich on culture and international ambition and we are eager to share what we love the most with the rest of the world,” explains Peter Rømer Hansen, senior director at the city’s visitor and congress bureau Wonderful Copenhagen.
Written by: Nick Purdom
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