Merlion Park, ) is a famous Singapore landmark and a major tourist attraction, located at One Fullerton,

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, near the

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...

(CBD). The Merlion is a mythical creature with a lion's head and the body of a fish that is widely used as a mascot and national personification of Singapore. Two Merlion statues are located at the park. The original Merlion structure measures 8.6 meters tall and spouts water from its mouth. It has subsequently been joined by a Merlion cub, which is located near the original statue and measures just 2 metres tall.

History

The original Merlion Park was first designed by the

Singapore Tourism Board The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore, tasked to promote the country's tourism industry. History The board was first established on 1 January 1964 and ...

(STB) near the mouth of the

Singapore River The Singapore River is a river that flows parallel to Alexandra Road and feeds into the Marina Reservoir in the southern part of Singapore. The immediate upper drainage basin, watershed of the Singapore River is known as the Singapore River Plann ...

in 1964 as an emblem of Singapore. On 15 September 1972, the park was officially opened at an installation ceremony for the statue, officiated at by then Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born Harry Lee Kuan Yew; 16 September 1923 – 23 March 2015), often referred to by his initials LKY, was a Singaporean politician who ruled as the first Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He is widely recognised ...

. The original statue of the Merlion used to stand at the mouth of the

. The building of the Merlion was started in November 1971 and was completed in August 1972. It was crafted by the late Singaporean sculptor, Mr Lim Nang Seng and his 8 children. The sculpture measures 8.6 meters high and weighs 70 tons. This massive statue with the spouting stream was constructed by Stanley Mok

Relocation of Merlion

Aerial Panorama of Merlion Park and its surrounds

Upon the completion of the Esplanade Bridge in 1997, the original Merlion Park location was also no longer the entrance of Singapore River and the statue could no longer be viewed clearly from the Marina Bay Waterfront. On 23 April 2002, the statue was relocated to a new pier specially built on the other side of The Esplanade Bridge adjacent to The Fullerton Hotel. The move, which cost $7.5 million, was completed on 25 April 2002. On 15 September 2002, then-Senior Minister

ceremonially welcomed the Merlion again on its new location, the current Merlion Park, which is four times bigger than the original

site Site most often refers to: * Archaeological site * Campsite, a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area * Construction site * Location, a point or an area on the Earth's surface or elsewhere * Website, a set of related web pages, typical ...

Merlion statue damage

On 28 February 2009, between 4 pm and 5 pm, the Merlion statue was struck by lightning. Staff in the vicinity said they heard an explosion followed by a loud thud when broken pieces fell to the ground. Repairs were completed in March that year, the Merlion itself resumed spouting water on 18 March 2009.

Restoration Works

During restoration, the Merlion statue would be closed off throughout the whole restoration process. The sculpture would be cleaned thoroughly, and new plaster or paint would be put on the Merlion to keep the Merlion looking bright and clean. Occasionally fillers are used for the cracks and hollow areas of the Sculpture.

Notes

References

External links

News Asia Singapore
{{Parks in Singapore Marina Bay, Singapore Places in Singapore Tourist attractions in Singapore Fountains in Singapore Sculptures of lions