In March 2024, one of Warsaw’s landmarks was vandalised in a brazen act. Activists doused the Mermaid Monument on the Vistula with orange paint, sparking nationwide outrage and a wave of criticism against the Last Generation movement. The case concluded with a court ruling that found the perpetrators guilty of the alleged offences.
The Mermaid Monument in Warsaw – the court’s verdict
On 8 March 2024, two activists associated with the Last Generation movement doused the Mermaid on the Vistula monument with paint. The orange substance covered the sculpture, the fountain basin and the stone plinth. The court in Warsaw ruled that the act was deliberate and carried out jointly, resulting in damage to a monument listed in the Mazovia Province register. In its ruling, both women were sentenced to six months of community service, at a rate of 30 hours per month. In addition, each of them was ordered to pay 3,000 PLN to the National Monument Protection Fund and 30,000 PLN in compensation for the damage. The verdict is not yet final. The costs of restoring the monument to its previous condition were covered by the city, and the total cost was estimated at around 360,000 PLN.
Monument destroyed by Last Generation
During the trial, the court addressed the defendants’ arguments, in which they explained their actions as an attempt to draw attention to the climate crisis. In its reasoning, the court emphasised that even actions motivated by important ideals cannot lead to the destruction of historic buildings. The judge further pointed out that accepting such actions could result in a weakening of heritage protection and lead to serious social consequences. The fact that the vandalism was very poorly received by the public was also noted. The prosecution had sought a more severe classification of the offence and a custodial sentence, but the court did not grant this request. One of the defendants challenged the verdict, deeming it inappropriate to the situation.
The Mermaid Monument in Warsaw – history
The Warsaw Mermaid has a long history dating back to the 19th century. It was then that Konstanty Hegel created the first sculptural depiction of a woman with a fish’s tail, all in connection with Henryk Marconi’s waterworks projects. The current monument on the Vistula was erected much later, on the initiative of President Stefan Starzyński. The sculpture was created by Ludwika Nitschowa, who worked on it at the turn of 1936 and 1937. The model was Krystyna Krahelska, an ethnography student and later a participant in the Warsaw Uprising. Her figure and facial features were used to create the figure of the Mermaid. The 2.75-metre-tall bronze figure was cast at the Łopieńscy Brothers’ foundry on Hoża Street. Due to its size, it was made in sections, which were then joined together and finished.
The monument’s history
In April 1939, the monument was erected on Kościuszko Embankment, running parallel to the course of the Vistula. The original designs envisaged a much more elaborate form, including a glass structure placed on a pillar in the river, but this idea was abandoned. Shortly after the installation of Nitschowa’s work, the Second World War broke out. During the fighting, the sculpture was damaged, and bullet marks were visible on its surface. In 1949, repairs were carried out without dismantling the sculpture, filling in several dozen bullet holes. Further work was carried out in 1966, when the fountain was commissioned. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Świętokrzyski Bridge appeared in the vicinity of the Mermaid, which today serves as part of its backdrop.
Below is a video of the monument’s destruction:Source: warszawa.tvp.pl, um.warszawa.pl
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