![The coat of arms of Old Warsaw is located on the cover of the book "Regestrum proventuum et expensorum civitatis antiq [ue] varsaviae" from 1652 AGAD Herb Warszawy 1652.png](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/AGAD_Herb_Warszawy_1652.png/220px-AGAD_Herb_Warszawy_1652.png)
The Mermaid of Warsaw (Polish : Syrenka Warszawska) is a symbol of Warsaw, represented on the city's coat of arms as well as in a number of statues and other imagery.
Polish syrenka is a cognate of siren, but she is more properly a fresh-water mermaid called melusina.
A mermaid is a mythical sea creature with the lower body of a fish and the upper body of a woman. Often depicted with long hair, mermaids were known to sing haunting melodies which would draw passing ships onto rocks. [1]
A melusina is a mythical freshwater winged and fish-tailed spirit who lives in rivers or wells. [2]
A creature was on Warsaw's coat of arms in 1390. It showed an animal with a bird's legs and a torso covered with dragon scales. The seal of 1459 had feminine characteristics, a bird torso, human hands, a fishtail, and bird legs and claws. The first presentation of a mermaid dates from 1622.
The inspiration for the coat of arms was probably derived from the 2nd-century book Physiologus.
There are several legends about the mermaid. The City's literature and tour guides say the mermaid decided to stay after stopping on a riverbank near the Old Town. Fishermen noticed something was creating waves, tangling nets, and releasing their fish. They planned to trap the animal, then heard her singing and fell in love. A rich merchant trapped and imprisoned the mermaid. Hearing her cries, the fishermen rescued her. Ever since, the mermaid, armed with a sword and a shield, has been ready to help protect the city and its residents. [3]
Sometimes this legend is expanded to say the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is the Warsaw mermaid's [4] sister and they went separate ways from the Baltic Sea.
Another state she helped a prince lost hunting and he founded the city in her honour. [5]
Examples include:
The sculpture in Warsaw's Old Town Square was designed by Varsovian sculptor Konstanty Hegel.
Originally (1855–1928) and now (since 2000) it stands in the marketplace. At other times, it was moved to different places in Warsaw. In 2008, the original sculpture made of bronzed zinc was taken from the market for maintenance work. The sculpture was in a very poor condition due to mechanical damage and numerous acts of vandalism. The repaired original was transferred to the Museum of Warsaw, and replaced with a copy of made by the Jacek Guzera foundry in Dąbrowie near Kielce.
This statue, made of gunmetal, was erected in April 1939 in Powiśle near the Vistula river. The sculpture is by Ludwika Nitschowa and posed by poet Krystyna Krahelska. Originally, it was to be a 20-metre high sculpture made of glass, placed on a pillar in the middle of the Vistula channel. For financial reasons, this idea was abandoned, opting for a more modest solution - a sculpture surrounded by fish and seagulls, which was to be set up in a fountain.
The monument was not on the list of objects intended by the Germans for dismantling, it was also one of the few that survived World War II without major damage. [6]
In autumn of 2006, a silver plaque of the Virtuti Militari was added to the monument for General Sikorski who was awarded it in recognition of his defence of Warsaw in September 1939.
A mermaid sculpted by Jan Woydyga was erected on the Stanislaw Markiewicz viaduct in Karowa Street in 1905.
A mermaid designed by Alexander Żurakowski in 1947 was engraved onto the shield on the breast of a statue of an eagle located in the main meeting hall of the Polish parliament, the Sejm.
This mermaid is over the entrance to the former tram depot on 6 Inżynierska Street.
Located on the building of School No. 77 on the corner of Katowicka and Zwycięzców streets in Saska Kępa, the bas-relief is by Wojciech Czerwosz.
This mermaid is in front of the district office of the Warsaw borough of Praga-Południe at 274 Grochowska Street, and was made by Jerzy Chojnacki. It originally stood in Saska Kępa, in front of the Sawa movie theatre.
At the top of the Palace of Culture and Science, on each clock face (which were added prior to millennium celebrations in 2000), there is the Warsaw mermaid. [7]
A memorial fountain of the Warsaw mermaid with a similar shape to the monument in Powiśle is located in the central square of Bielsko-Biała. It was created in 1954 by Ryszard Sroczyński.
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at 1.86 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 3.27 million residents, which makes Warsaw the 7th most-populous city in the European Union. The city area measures 517 km2 (200 sq mi) and comprises 18 districts, while the metropolitan area covers 6,100 km2 (2,355 sq mi). Warsaw is classified as an alpha global city, a major cultural, political and economic hub, and the country's seat of government. It is also the capital of the Masovian Voivodeship.
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Praga is a district of Warsaw, Poland. It is on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.
The coat of arms of Warsaw consists of a syrenka in a red field. This imagery has been in use since at least the mid-14th century. The syrenka has traditionally held a silver sword although this does not appear on more recent versions.
The coat of arms of Poland is a white, crowned eagle with a golden beak and talons, on a red background.
Mariensztat is a historic neighbourhood along the Vistula river in central Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Situated between the riverbank and the UNESCO-protected Old Town, Mariensztat is part of the larger Śródmieście (Downtown) borough and is one of the city's smallest neighbourhoods.
The original coat of arms of Ustka, Poland was created in 1922 by local artist Wilhelm Granzow.
Saska Kępa is a neighbourhood in Warsaw, Poland, part of the Praga Południe district, with a population of over 40.000 inhabitants. It is also the home to one of Warsaw's largest urban parks, the Skaryszew Park. The neighbourhood is mostly occupied by semi-detached suburban houses and villas.
Warsaw cross-city line is a 7 km (4.3 mi) railway line crossing Central Warsaw in the east–west direction. Opened in 1933 and electrified in 1936, it initially had two tracks, with an additional two added in 1967. The central part of the line is in a tunnel, which is 2,226 m long. It then crosses the Vistula by the Średnicowy railway bridge 470.15 m long located between Poniatowski Bridge and Świętokrzyski Bridge.
Siekierki is a low-rise housing residential neighborhood in Warsaw, the northeastern part of the Mokotów district belonging to Lower Mokotów, adjacent to the Vistula river. The area is home to an astronomical research center of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a Marian sanctuary.
The architecture of Warsaw has influenced and reflected the history of Polish architecture. The city of Warsaw features prominent buildings in a variety of styles by many important architects. Warsaw's palaces, churches and mansions display a richness of color and architectural details.
Karol Tchorek was a Polish sculptor, art dealer and art collector. The designer of monuments, an activist in the ZPAP, and winner, among other awards, of the Polish Order of Polonia Restituta.
The Kościuszko Infantry Division Memorial commemorates the attempt to aid the Warsaw Uprising by soldiers of the Soviet-organised Polish 1st Tadeusz Kościuszko Infantry Division during World War II. It stands at the intersection of Wybrzeże Helskie and Okrzei Streets at the entrance to Port Praski in North Praga in Warsaw, near the former Komora Wodna building on the Vistula river.
Solec is a neighbourhood along the Vistula river in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is situated east of Frascati on the southeastern edge of Downtown and south of the Powiśle suburb. Solec was a self governing settlement and town from 1675 until its incorporation into Warsaw in 1791. The name "Solec" is derived from the Polish word for salt – sól – which was extensively traded and transported through the neighbourhood since the late Middle Ages. However, contemporary Solec is mostly occupied by residential tower blocks and commercial buildings.
The Bust of George Washington, also known as the George Washington Monument, is a monument in the city of Warsaw, Poland, at Waszyngtona Roundabout. It commemorates George Washington, the first president of the United States. The monument was created by Bronisław Koniuszy and Bronisław Kubica and unveiled on 27 October 1989.
Katowicka Street is a street in Warsaw located in Saska Kępa, running from the intersection with Zwycięzców Street to the intersection with Obrońców Street. The name of the street refers to Katowice, the capital of the then youngest Silesian Voivodeship, which fits into the nomenclature of many other streets in Saska Kępa, referring to the new political order after World War I. It is mainly lined with residential buildings, including those from the interwar period, 13 of which are listed in the heritage register. Several buildings were designed by architects associated with the Praesens group. Katowicka Street also bears traces of an urban experiment from the late 1940s.
Francuska Street is a street in Warsaw's Saska Kępa neighborhood, beginning at Przymierza Square and ending at George Washington Roundabout. Along the street, there are residential houses, and the trees growing alongside it give it the character of an avenue.
The 1st Armoured Division Monument is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, located at the Disabled People Square, near Wojska Polskiego Avenue. It is dedicated to the 1st Armoured Division of the Polish Armed Forces, that fought in the Second World War. The monument was designed by sculptor Jerzy Sikorski and architect Andrzej Kiciński, and unveiled on 30 September 1995.
The Bust of René Goscinny is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, in the district Praga-North, placed in front of the René Goscinny French High School at 4 and 6 Walecznych Street. It consists of the bronze bust of René Goscinny, a 20th-century cartoonist and book author, best known as the author of Little Nicolas and Asterix.
The Józef Piłsudski Monument is a gunmetal statue in Warsaw, Poland, within the Downtown district, placed next to the Belweder Palace, near the intersection of Belwederska Street, Ujazdów Avenue, and Bagatela Street. It is dedicated to Józef Piłsudski, a military officer and statesman who served as the Chief of State of Poland from 1918 to 1922, the Prime Minister of Poland from 1926 to 1928, and in 1930, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces and the Marshal of Poland. The monument was based on a sculpture made by Stanisław Kazimierz Ostrowski, prior to the Second World War. It was unveiled on 8 November 1998.
Ever since, the Mermaid, armed with sword and shield, has been ready to help protect the city and its residents
Miraculously, a mermaid emerged and guided the prince to safety by firing burning arrows into the sky. Warsaw was founded out of gratitude, and the mermaid adopted as its emblem.
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