The Warsaw Mermaid Monument

The Warsaw Mermaid (Syrenka, pronounced "sih-REN-kah") on the Old Town Market Square is the city's best-known monument to its own coat of arms: a sword-wielding mermaid with a round shield, standing in the middle of a square of pastel townhouses rebuilt after World War II. If you are looking for things to do in Warsaw's Old Town, this is the natural first stop, and a quick way to understand why a half-woman, half-fish defends the Polish capital.

Where it is and how to get there

The statue sits at the center of the Old Town Market Square (Rynek Starego Miasta) in central Warsaw. Warsaw Chopin Airport is roughly 10 km away; a taxi or public transport takes you into the center, and the last stretch from Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy) is a short walk through pedestrian streets. The Old Town is car-free, so if you drive, park outside it in the paid parking zone.

A short history of the statue

The mermaid has appeared on Warsaw's seals since around 1400, although early versions looked very different from today's figure. The monument itself dates from 1855. Sculptor Konstanty Hegel, a professor at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts, modeled it in early February of that year, and Karol Juliusz Minter's foundry, then the largest in the Russian Empire, cast it. According to the Museum of Warsaw, the casting is bronzed tin, which was cheaper than bronze but much softer. The mermaid was installed in a fountain basin connected to Henryk Marconi's new municipal waterworks, close to where the town hall had stood until 1817.

What followed was a long journey around the city:

• 1928: the fountain was removed and the statue went into a municipal storehouse
• 1929: it was set up outside the "Syrena" sports club on Solec Street
• 1955: after repairs, it moved to a park in the Powiśle district and later to the rebuilt Old Town walls
• 1999: it returned to the Market Square

The statue survived World War II on Solec Street but was badly damaged. The Łopieński Brothers foundry replaced the torn-off sword, recast the left hand and shield, and plugged more than 50 bullet and shrapnel holes.

Original or copy?

Repeated vandalism led the city to replace the statue with a copy. In 2008 the original, about 180 cm tall, entered the collection of the Museum of Warsaw, which occupies townhouses on the same square. It is listed in the museum's "Things of Warsaw" exhibition, in a room devoted to the city's mermaids; check the museum's website before you go if seeing the original matters to you.

Is it worth visiting?

On its own, the statue takes five minutes. As part of the Old Town, it is absolutely worth it. The historic center was deliberately destroyed by German forces in 1944 and painstakingly rebuilt, which is why UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List in 1980. The mermaid is free to see and accessible 24 hours a day, and makes a good starting point for a walk to the Royal Castle, the Barbican and the city walls.

Tips for your visit:

• Come early in the morning for photos without crowds and café umbrellas.
• In winter, an ice rink is sometimes set up around the statue, which limits access.
• The square is paved with uneven stone, which can be tough for strollers and wheelchairs.
• Prices in the surrounding cafés are in Polish złoty (PLN).

Nearby

Within a few minutes' walk you will find the Royal Castle, Castle Square with Sigismund's Column, the Barbican and the Museum of Warsaw. For a mermaid double, head down to the Vistula riverbank in Powiśle, where a younger statue by Ludwika Nitschowa stands.