Little Mermaid

In 1909, the statue was licensed by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg. Later on, he asked Ellen Price, who was the prima ballerina of the same-named play, to model in the nude for the statue’s body. After she refused, the sculptor’s wife, Eline Eriksen was used for the body. The story behind the “Little Mermaid” is based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

The “Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen is sitting on a rock in the harbour of Langelinie promenade. It has a height of 1.25 meters. Only a very small amount of people know that the “Little Mermaid” in Copenhagen is not the original one. The original one is located in a secret place...

The statue has been damaged and demolished many times but was renovated each time. The Mermaid has survived many offences. Those go from decapitation over disguise to explosive damage.

The path towards the mermaid is nice to walk on foot especially when the weather is good. Fortunately this was the case during our trip. After having seen the mermaid, you may be a little disappointed as the statue itself is rather small and you might have expected something bigger or more spectacular.

 David: Very nice to see.
 Nigel: It was a bit disapointing but i don't regret to have seen it.
 Gaspard: A little disapointing but a must.

A note for the next generation: If you don’t want to spend too much money on food, you better bring your own lunch pack for this visit since you can only find one restaurant next to the mermaid which is quite expensive...but good.

Amalienborg

The first palace was called Sophie Amalienborg and was built in the early 17th century. But it burned down in 1689 as a nearby theater took fire, and nearly every part of the palace was destroyed. King Christian V started to rebuild the castle. However, he never finished it and the “borg” was abandoned for nearly 60 years. The new King, Frederick V, then decided to add a new district in baroque style. He distributed the terrain to the four most influential noble families of Denmark. They had to build four identical palaces. And so they did. The royal family bought the palaces of and now it is the royal residence of

Denmark.

The palace is made up of four identical houses, in front of which you can see royal guards. In the middle of these there is a square with a statue of Frederick V.

The palace is made of four identical houses. In front of which you can see royal guards. In the middle of these there is a square with a statue of a riding Frederick V.

There are not many shops around the palace but you can find the medical museum and an amazing looking church. Furthermore, there is a river just next to the castle on which you can see the royal yacht of Denmark 200 meters further along the river.

We think that visiting the Amalienborg is a must when you go to Copenhagen. It doesn’t take a long time to look around and it is especially worth to visit this place for the royal guards who are much too serious.

David: Great place, a shame we missed the main act.

Nigel: The buildings were really impressive. 
Gaspard: Very impressive place.