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 Mermaid with a fighting spirit by scottishvisitorLeave a Comment Address: Old Town Square - Stare Miasto
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 Syrenka (little Mermaid) of
Warsaw (autumn 2006) by JessH, 1 more photos
This zinc sculpture by Konstanty Hegel was made in the year 1855 & is almost 3 metres tall, surrounded by a small water feature. It was located in different parts of the city in the past, but has taken-up permanent residence here since the year 2000.
Warsaw is over 300km (200miles) away from the nearest sea coast, so why has the city adopted a mermaid as its symbol? City records of "old Warsaw with strong walls" date as far back as 1609 and mention the appearance of a kind of a sea monster with a female upper body, holding a sword in its claws.
Today, "Syrenka" appears on every municipal building, buses, trams and taxis. The people of Warsaw are proud of their symbol, and she is always pictured with a sword in hand to represent the fighting spirit of the city's citizens.
There was also a 5-times bigger than life-sized "Syrena" statue on the bank of the river Vistul; created by sculptress Louise Nitschowa in 1939. The German armies destroyed many monuments (i.e. Chopin & Copernicus), but fortunately they were unaware of the mermaid's symbolism, and it was one of the few that were not destroyed. The statue in the Old Market Square is much smaller & more graceful. It is called Syrenka , which means "Little Mermaid". Leave a Comment
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 The Marmaid by PolishChickLeave a Comment Directions: Right in the middle of the Old Town Market Square
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The Mermaid has been the coat of arms of Warsaw for centuries, which is rather unusual for a place that is situated about 300 km from the sea. Legend has it that there were two mermaid sisters who swam from the Atlantic into the Baltic Sea. The smaller one now sits on a rock at the entrance to the port of Copenhagen. The other swam to Gdansk and then up the Vistula River as far as the Warsaw Old Town. She loved the place and would sing to the local fishermen in her beautiful voice. One day, however, she was tricked and captured by a wealthy merchant, who planned to put her in a cage and show at fairs. Her cries for help were heard by some local people, who came to her rescue. In return, the mermaid offered to defend them in times of need. That is why the Warsaw Mermaid bears a sword and a shield. And she certainly needed them in the course of Warsaw's turbulent past.
The emblem can now be found on all the Warsaw trams, buses and taxis. In addition, there are two statues of the Mermaid here: the larger one on the Vistula near the Swietokrzyski Bridge and the other, smaller one - now in the centre of the Old Town Square. The latter is a zinc cast of the sculpture by Konstanty Hegel, created in 1855. The statue on the Vistula, on the other hand, dates back to 1939. Its author Ludwika Krasowska-Nitschova modelled its face on that of a young poet Krystyna Krahelska, who was killed in combat on the first day of the Warsaw Uprising 1944. Leave a Comment Directions: Wybrzeze Kosciuszkowskie, near the Swietokrzyski Bridge
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 Syrenka by GwynethartLeave a Comment Address: Warsaw Square
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 the mermaid by traveloturc
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 Mermaid fountain by Tripack
On this square you will find many restaurants and terracces, street artists, but most important of all: the rebuilt houses after thetotal WWII devastation. The Old town is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage since 1980.
So pay a particular attention to the details on the facades to discover this architectural miracle. Leave a Comment Address: Rynek Starego Miasta
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 Mermaid by Dabs
According to one legend, Warsaw was founded when a Mermaid ordered two fishermen Wars and Sawa, to form a city.
Another legend says that a mermaid once swam to Warsaw from the Baltic Sea for the love of the Griffin, the ancient defender of the city, who was killed in a struggle against the Swedish invasions of the 17th century. The Mermaid, wishing to avenge his death, took the position of defender of Warsaw, becoming the symbol of the city.
Whichever legend you believe, you can find this sculpture by T. Hegel in the center of the Old Town square. Leave a Comment Address: Old Town Square
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 Rynek Starego Miasto by Carletto76
And of course it's one of the main tourists attraction of the main square... Leave a Comment Address: Rynek Starego Miasto
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 Syrenka by MichaelFalk1969
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