Ustka Mermaid

In the design she had a graceful tail and a slender figure, but once cast in bronze – as the sculptor himself complained – she was holding not a salmon but "a dead carp". Despite its stormy beginnings, the Ustka Mermaid (Syrenka Ustecka) soon became the town's most popular symbol and the photo everyone takes on a walk around the harbour. She sits on a plinth, shading her eyes with one hand as she watches for ships out at sea.

History: a monument funded by the town

A mermaid holding a salmon has appeared on the town's coat of arms since 1922, a nod to maritime trade, tourism and fishing. The idea for a statue came up in 2008 at the Local Tourism Organisation, now LOT "Ustka i Ziemia Słupska". A community committee under the mayor's patronage collected money from businesses and residents, and donors could even give non-ferrous metals for the casting – more than PLN 80,000 was raised. The competition was won by Ustka sculptor Michał Rosa (some sources give Jerzy Michał Rosa), and residents chose the location. A statue of St John of Nepomuk previously stood here and was moved by the parish.

The casting controversy

The monument was unveiled on 15 August 2010, on Ustka Day, the town's annual festival. Soon afterwards the sculptor declared that the casting differed from his model, and residents protested against the "botched" statue. A few days after the unveiling, an unknown vandal damaged the mermaid's face and bust, probably with an angle grinder. The statue was taken away for repair and came back restored – according to the press, a little closer to the original design.

Where the mermaid stands

The statue's permanent home is the small square at the end of the Pilot Quay, where the eastern breakwater once began. The Maritime Office in Gdynia is renovating the century-old breakwaters here at a cost of PLN 102.5 million, as part of building a service terminal for offshore wind farms; the contract allows 15 months for the work. In the meantime the mermaid has been moved near the "To the People of the Sea" monument, between the lighthouse and the Harbour Master's Office. She is due to return to her old spot once the works are finished, so check where she is before you go.

Interesting facts and customs

According to local custom, touching the mermaid brings good luck – hence the polished patches on the bronze. A walking route called "On the Trail of the Ustka Mermaid Legend" starts at the statue. It leads to the lighthouse, the "To the People of the Sea" monument, John Paul II Square, the harbour, the post office, the fishermen's houses on ul. Kosynierów, the Church of the Holy Saviour, ul. Kopernika and the Seaside Park.

Tripto tip

The statue is free to visit all year round; a photo takes a few minutes, and the whole mermaid trail is a relaxed one- to two-hour stroll. Come early in the morning or outside the summer season to avoid the queue for photos. Ustka is also worth visiting for the Blücher Battery bunkers, and from the eastern breakwater a promenade more than 1,100 m long runs along the top of the dune.