The Mermaid—the Polish capital’s patroness, and her incarnations

From legend to coat of arms

According to one legend, the Mermaid swam to Warsaw from the Baltic Sea and was so enchanted by the view of the city that she decided to stay here. She fell into the hands of a wicked merchant who decided to abduct her and make money by showing her at festivals. The Mermaid was later set free by Warsaw fishermen. As a gesture of gratitude, she promised to defend Warsaw. Since then, armed with a shield and a sword, she has guarded the capital of Poland.

To learn how she may really have come to feature in the city’s coat of arms, take a look at the oldest known images of her. On the seal of the city from the beginning of the 15th century, she resembled… a winged monster—a cross between a man and a dragon with scales on its belly, clawed paws and a lion’s tail. It was someone to be afraid of and potential invaders may have felt uneasy seeing it. Over time, the terrible figure changed a great deal—it lost its paws and wings and gained a fish’s tail. It also took on more delicate, feminine lines, but retained a sword and shield to symbolise the valour of the city’s inhabitants.

The Mermaid in the urban landscape

You will see her official image on the doors of city taxis, public transport, and public administration buildings. The Mermaid lives in the hearts of residents who have been creating their own images of her for hundreds of years, placing them in the most diverse locations. By doing so, they also manifested their own identity at times when the Polish state disappeared from the maps of Europe and the partitioning powers banned the use of the Mermaid on city seals. Warm feelings towards Warsaw’s patroness are also reflected in the fact that residents affectionately refer to her as ‘Syrenka‘ (Little Mermaid). So take a walk along the trail of Warsaw Mermaids, see the most popular ones and discover her lesser-known images. You will be delighted by their beauty and diversity, which reflects the times they were created in and the talents of their creators.

In and around the Old Town

You will come across the most Mermaids in the Old Town. One of its most famous monuments stands on the market square, at the site of the former town hall. This is a faithful copy of a sculpture from 1855 which arrived here in connection with the municipal water supply being brought to the square. The original is located in the Room of Warsaw Mermaids at the Museum of Warsaw, which houses as many as 100 other depictions of Warsaw’s patroness. Walking through the lobby to the museum cinema, you will encounter another one. This Mermaid is made of blue neon. Yet another appears along with ‘Katarynarz Jan’, who sometimes plays his barrel organ in the market square. Before you leave the square, take a look at the roof of tenement house No. 1. If you have good eyesight, you will see a metal weather vane with the date 1953 visible on one side. The figure on the other is a Mermaid from the time when she still had talons.

While strolling through the streets of the Old Town, you will come across many other Mermaids. Two of them are located on Szeroki Dunaj Street. One adorns a 19th-century well, located at the site of a stream that flowed from here in the past. The other takes the form of a modern bas-relief on the façade of tenement No 13, which stands at the site of a medieval executioner’s house. Two small but distinctive Mermaid figurines can be found on Piwna Street. The one on the sign above the Book House (Dom Książki, at number 20) has dragon wings, and the one at the Museum of Pharmacy (31/33 Piwna Street) holds the serpent-entwined staff of Aesculapius in its hand. On Świętojańska Street stands St John’s Archcathedral. Here, on the frame of the wrought-iron entrance, you will notice images of Mermaids from different eras and can see how their form has changed over the centuries. Another image of the Warsaw patroness awaits you inside the church in one of the stained glass windows. Two other interesting depictions of the Mermaid—made using the sgraffito technique—can be seen on a tenement house at 8 Kościelna Street and on a building on Castle Square, next to the Royal Castle.

You will find more of them on Theatre Square (Plac Teatralny), located a few hundred metres away. There, on Senatorska Street, stands Jabłonowski Palace—the former Warsaw City Hall—with Mermaids on its façade, and the Blanka Palace—a pre-war, representative building of the Mayor of Warsaw with a Mermaid in a wrought-iron gate leading to it.

And if you go for a walk along the royal route leading from the Old Town, stop at the tenement house at 41 Krakowskie Przedmieście. There on the façade is the coat of arms of the Tailors and Textile Crafts Guild, which has existed since 1380, bearing none other than the Warsaw Mermaid.

Famous and lesser-known monuments in various parts of the city

Mermaids of the most varied shapes can also be found in other districts of Warsaw. Some of them are must-see points on every tourist trail while others can be viewed while visiting famous Warsaw attractions. The former include two historical monuments. On an extension of Karowa Street leading from Krakowskie Przedmieście to the Vistula is the historic Markiewicz Viaduct, and on it probably the most attractive of the Warsaw Mermaids. The second, the most popular Mermaid, can be found near the Vistula boulevards by Świętokrzyski Bridge. The figure has the face of Warsaw poet Krystyna Krahelska and obligingly poses for anyone wanting to take photos.

Less well-known but very distinctive Mermaid monuments are also located in various places off the tourist trails. One, in the vicinity of Kaliny Jędrusik Street, wields a pallet and brush instead of weapons, and another, in the Za Żelazną Bramą (Behind the Iron Gate) residential complex, has a bowl-shaped tail that serves as a birdbath when it rains. ‘Pani S’ in Pole Mokotowskie park resembles a pregnant woman, while the one standing in front of the district office on Grochowska Street is holding a bunch of flowers.

Historic buildings and bridges

You will also see Mermaids in the form of decorative coats of arms, paintings, bas-reliefs and much more on historic buildings from the early 20th century. Some of them are tourist attractions in themselves, such as the Warsaw Uprising Museum situated in the former Tram Power Plant, the Warsaw Water Filters, the historic Mirowska and Koszyki market halls, the Warsaw Brewery, or the House of the Mermaid, which was once Warsaw’s first horse-drawn tram depot. The Mermaid from the façade of this last building can currently been seen on every Warsaw tram.

The patroness of Warsaw also features on Poniatowski Bridge, built over 100 years ago, which is the most convenient way to reach the Vistula beaches and the PGE National Stadium. Travelling from the left bank of the Vistula River to the right, you can see it on the tower by the viaduct. And you can see her twins on the decorative benches above the pillars visible from the beach by the bridge. A much younger Mermaid, hard to spot at first glance, is at the Palace of Culture and Science. She wandered all the way up to the 40th floor to land on the face of the millennium clock that is visible from afar. Another building from the days of socialist realism that she appears on is a block at Marszałkowska 55/73 in the MDM complex.

Other incarnations of the Mermaid

It is not possible to list all Warsaw’s Mermaids. They decorate bollards and lampposts, are spontaneously painted on murals, and feature in neon advertising signs. Some that once decorated streets are disappearing, like a neon Mermaid sitting on a book that guarded Warsaw libraries. You can now see it at the Neon Museum. Others make a pleasant aesthetic at popular sites like the Google Campus atrium at the Koneser Praga Centre, or the interior of the Ćma restaurant in Hala Koszyki.

Once a year, in early summer, Warsaw Mermaids come to life, creating a colourful procession leading through Nowy Świat and Krakowskie Przedmieście streets to Castle Square. This is the Mermaid Parade, in which over a dozen very different Mermaid-themed figures present the city’s qualities and the specific traits of individual Warsaw districts and city institutions. Street theatre actors, dancers and performers, as well as many Varsovians, also take part in the Mermaid festival.

The city's symbol and inspiration

It is impossible to imagine Warsaw without its guardian. Encountering its numerous incarnations will help you explore the history of the capital and better understand its spirit, and at the same time give you great pleasure. Maybe it will also inspire you as it has inspired and continues to inspire the people of Warsaw.

The Mermaid—the Polish capital's patroness, and her incarnations