Copenhagen Sends Little Mermaid to Shanghai

COPENHAGEN - Copenhagen’s statue of The Little Mermaid, known from H.C. Andersen’s
fairytale, will travel around the world to be part of 2010 EXPO in Shanghai.
This means that around 70 million people will experience the iconic symbol of
the Danish capital.

(Photo:

She has been beheaded twice and has had her arm cut off, but The Little
Mermaid has never left her spot on Langelinie pier since 1913. Until now.
This evening Copenhagen City Council voted to send her far away from home to
be staged in the Danish pavilion at the world exhibition EXPO in Shanghai
from April - November 2010. This ends a long controversy about Copenhagen’s
symbol that has flourished since the idea was born.

Mermaid brings Copenhagen lifestyle

The Little Mermaid will be situated in the Mermaid Pool in the centre of
the Danish pavilion. Here visitors get the opportunity to try some of the
best aspects of Danish city life themselves. They can ride around The Little
Mermaid on a city bike like a true Copenhagener or have an organic picnic in
the roof garden.

Architects from BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) and 2+1 Ideas Agency are behind
the concept of the Danish pavilion. The idea is to move The Little Mermaid
from Copenhagen to Shanghai as a gesture of cultural generosity and also an
invitation to a cultural dialogue between Denmark and China.

While in Shanghai, The Little Mermaid’s place in Copenhagen will be
temporarily taken over by a sculpture created by a Chinese artist. Also, a
long list of activities is being put together, so tourists visiting the
waterfront of Copenhagen won’t be disappointed.

“We ensure that not only The Little Mermaid, but also visitors at 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,” says Peter R0mer Hansen, Senior
Director at Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s visitor and congress bureau.

Photos:
www.visitcopenhagen.com/photos

Facts:
www.visitcopenhagen.com/mermaid

For video footage:

Download footage and interview-bite about The Little Mermaid under
“Denmark” (’Countries-Cities section) on www.thenewsmarket.com.

Source: Wonderful Copenhagen

If you need assistance, contact Sanne Olsen, Wonderful Copenhagen, sol at woco.dk or call: +45-33-55-74-39. For further information, Peter Romer Hansen, Senior Director of Communication, Wonderful Copenhagen, Tel.: +45-61-61-32-24