The Warsaw Mermaid - Syrenka

Alex Webber - 14th January 2010

Feisty, beautiful and very, very busty. Her image has bewitched millions, and you’ll find her film star looks printed on everything from flags to mags.

But stop panting at the back. She turns out to be it, and it turns out to have a tail. Who is this godless Jezebel you ask? Well, none other than the Syrenka, the fresh water mermaid whose been representing Warsaw since before you’d remember.

Where does the story begin then? First known mention of a mermaid thing as the symbol of Warsaw can be traced to a royal seal dated from 1390, though this one certainly wasn’t much to be looking at; depicting a hideous looking bloke with a dragon’s tail was as close as you’d come to seeing a ...