City Icons – Mermaid Statue Warsaw Poland

The mermaid statue is Warsaw’s icon. She spends her days landlocked in the Old Town Square or Rynek Starego Miasta.

The square is a reconstructed masterpiece. It was reduced to rubble during World War II and was rebuilt with great care in the years after. Like the best of the atmospheric squares of Europe the Old Town Square has cafes in which you can sit and take it all in. It’s hard to believe the architecture is only decades instead of centuries old.

With raised sword and shield the mermaid (syrena in Polish) managed to survive the war and was moved to the square in recent years. The statue is the cast of a sculpture made by Konstanty Hegel in 1855.

The mermaid has been the symbol of Warsaw for centuries and is featured on its coat of arms.

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