This mermaid statue first appeared in Boltenhagen on the north coast of Germany in early 2005, with no one apparently knowing where it came from or who made it.
After making quite a splash and spawning a small cottage industry of mermaid mementos and figurines, the mermaid statue disappeared without a trace in late February 2006.
A replica showed up however, in April of 2007, in Travemünde, about 15 miles from where the Boltenhagen mermaid sculpture sat. ( map ) This replica was so exact that the owner of this new mermaid statue was taken to court for the theft of the original mermaid – whose ownership was never known – and had to prove her innocence by proving that the new statue had been cast after the original disappeared.
A severe storm in June 2007 damaged the Travemünde mermaid, but it was repaired and reseated in a “safer” location. This lasted until June 16th, 2008, when the mermaid was destroyed by a drunk driver colliding with the mermaid while driving on the beach with his SUV at night.
Thus ended the saga of the mermaid in Boltenhagen and Travemünde.
More photos and details here.
