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Three Mermaid statues in Drøbak, Norway

The town of Drøbak in Norway has three bronze mermaid statues by the marina, unveiled on 10 April 1999. They were created by local multi-artist Reidar Finsrud, commissioned and donated by Ingeborg Lane — born Ingeborg Ihle, later Ingeborg Drangsholt — a businesswoman with deep ties to the town.  map

Drøbak Mermaid Sculpture
Drøbak Mermaid Statues. Photo © by Erik Bakke.

The Sculptor

Reidar Finsrud is one of Norway's most versatile artists, working across sculpture, painting, drawing and graphic art from his gallery in Drøbak, where he has also run an art school since 1975. He is best known internationally for his Perpetuum Mobile — a perpetual motion machine completed in 1996 that brought him worldwide press coverage and a film from MTV. The Three Mermaids were created as part of his broader women's sculpture series. One appears to be rinsing her hair; the other two are engaged in what looks like a lively discussion.

Ingeborg Lane

Ingeborg was born Ingeborg Ihle and later took the name Drangsholt through her first marriage to Norwegian actor Erling Drangsholt. After the war, she identified a shortage of toys in Norway and founded Den Norske Dukkefabrikk — the Norwegian Doll Factory — in Drøbak, employing 15–20 staff at its peak. She remarried (taking the name Lane) and moved to London in 1963, but kept the factory running for another decade before closing it. The plaque on the mermaids uses her first married name — Ingeborg Drangsholt — the name by which the town knew her. She was still living in London, aged 99, when interviewed about the statues and her memories of Drøbak.

The View from the Marina

Standing at the mermaids' location, you can see across the water to Søndre Kaholmen — a small island in the fjord's narrowest stretch, just 500 metres wide at this point. The island holds Oscarsborg Fortress, which on the morning of 9 April 1940 sank the German flagship Blücher using 1890s Krupp guns and 40-year-old Whitehead torpedoes, delaying the German occupation of Oslo by twelve hours and allowing King Haakon VII, his government, and Norway's national gold reserves to escape the capital. The mermaids were unveiled on 10 April 1999 — the 59th anniversary of the fortress's surrender the following day.

“DE TRE HAVFRUER”
Gitt til Drøbak av Ingeborg Drangsholt
med takk for byens store
hjelpsomhet

Translation:
“THE THREE MERMAIDS”
Given to Drøbak by Ingeborg Drangsholt
with thanks for the town’s great
helpfulness

References:
● Ingeborg Lane tribute
● http://www.oblad.no/badebyen/les-intervjuet-med-ingeborg-lane-1.3855285
● http://www.oblad.no/badebyen/populere-havfruer-1.3893585 
● The Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book: See page 23 in the book about these sculptures.

Mermaids of Earth coffee-table book