24 Apr 2014, 13:00

The Little Mermaid: 50 years of vandalism

50 years ago, on April 24, 1964, the statue's head was sawn off and stolen for the first time

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On April 24, 1964, the statue's head was sawn off and stolen

© AP Photo/Bjarne Luethke

A sea gull rests on the head of the “little mermaid” statue in Copenhagen, Denmark on Feb. 7, 1972 after the harbor landmark was splashed with white paint

On January 6, 1998, the statue was decapitated again. Photo: a diver prepares to search for the missing head of The Little Mermaid

© AP Photo/Mogens Flindt

The head was returned anonymously to a nearby TV station. Photo: police officer prepares to put the decapitated head of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid in a box

© AP Photo/Mogens Flindt

On the night of September 10, 2003, the statue was removed from the base with explosives and sunken in the harbour. Photo: The Little Mermaid being returned to its place in 2003

© ITAR-TASS/Tatyana Kulbitskaya

In 2004, the statue was covered with a burqa by protesters against Turkey joining the European Union

© EPA/KRISTIAN LINNEMANN

After all the acts of vandalism, in 2006 the authorities thought of moving the statue farther out into the harbour. Photo: The Little Mermaid hoisted from its place in Copenhagen to be transported to the World Expo 2010

© EPA/NILS MEILVANG DENMARK OUT

In 2007, a Muslim dress and head scarf were put on the statue again

© AP Photo/POLFOTO, Andrius Karolis

In 2007, it was sprayed with pink paint

© AP Photo/Kristoffer Eriksen

The Little Mermaid was covered in paint more than once

© AP Photo/John McConnico)

April Fool day joke organized by The State National Historic Museum in 2010

© EPA/BIRGITTE RUBAEK/HANDOUT

The Little Mermaid is situated by the waterside in Copenhagen. The statue, inspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, is one of Denmark's biggest tourist attractions and one of the most famous statues in the world. However, it has become an object of vandalism many times. On April 24, 1964, the statue's head was sawn off and stolen for the first time. Since then, the statue has been covered in paint, clad in a Burka, decapitated and many other things. Learn more about the 50-year history of vandalism of the Little Mermaid in this photo gallery by ITAR-TASS.

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