- Address: 21 Esplanade Dr, Singapore 038980
- Opening: 1972
People always came up with symbols, signs, associations and lived among them. Nowadays large metropolises also have their own associative series: at the mention of the Coliseum we think about Rome, if the Kremlin is something about Moscow, the Statue of Liberty is only New York. The island, state and city of Singapore is historically symbolized with Merlion, otherwise it is also called Merlion.
The Legend of Merlion
There is a beautiful legend according to which the island has a guard in the sea - a huge monster with a head like a lion, and a body like a fish. And if the shore is in danger, the monster rises from the water and its burning eyes destroy any threat. Historically, according to the chronicle, it is believed that the first ruler of Malaysia on an unfamiliar coast of the island Tumasek met a huge lion. Already going to fight, rivals looked each other in the eyes and peacefully parted. Since then, the island was built the first city, which acquired the name "City of Lions". This is the first mention of Merlion and Singapore. Linguistically, the word "Merlion" is a combination of the words "mermaid" - mermaid and "lion" - lion, which is in combination a symbol of great power and a huge connection of the city with the sea element.
In 1964, the Singapore Tourism Board ordered the famous architect Fraser Brunner the emblem of the city. After 8 years, according to her sketches, sculptor Lim Nan Sen cast the Merlion statue, installed it on the shore at the mouth of the Singapore River near the Fullerton hotel complex. According to the authorities, the city should have a real original attraction . Merlion is depicted as a formidable creature with the head of a lion and in the body of a fish, and a huge stream of water splashes out of his mouth. The concrete statue was almost nine meters high and weighing about 70 tons. In the early autumn of 1972, the opening ceremony of the Merlion Park was held . By the way, not far from the main statue later installed a similar three-meter "cub".
In 1997, the Esplanade Bridge across the strait was built in Singapore, and Merlion was no longer visible from the sea. A few years later the symbol of Singapore was moved downstream by 120 meters. In 2009 Merlion was partially destroyed by lightning, but soon it was completely restored. Later, on the entertainment island of Sentosa built a large copy of the symbol with a height of 60 meters. In the statue with an elevator there are shops, a cinema, a museum and two viewing platforms: on the 9th floor in the jaws of the lion and on the 12th on his head.
With the advent of the symbol of Singapore, the flow of tourists on the island is estimated at millions. Every year, the number of unique high-value projects is growing here, like the diamond tourist complex Marina Bay Sands with a huge pool on the roof .
How to get there?
The symbol of the "city of lions" is located near the bridge of the Esplanade. You can get there by public transport, for example, by bus No. 10, 10e, 57, 70, 100, 107, 128, 130, 131, 162 and 167. The stop is OUE Bayfront. You can save about 15% of the fare using the special electronic maps Singapore Tourist Pass and Ez-Link .
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