Walking along Hviezdoslavovo námestie many tourists are surprised to find a statue of the famous children’s author Hans Christian Andersen in the city of Bratislava. The statue is another of those erected by the local town government in an attempt to throw off their austere reputation following the fall of communism in Slovakia.

The statue, was designed by Tibor Bártfay and was erected to mark the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth in 2006. Interesting Tibor Bártfay’s father designed the soldier on the top of the Slavín Monument. 

The statue depicts Andersen, author of tales such as The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, and The Snow Queen, as a larger-than-life tall, skinny bronze figure looking a bit bashful. The statue is surrounded by smaller sculptures of characters from his fairy tales, including The Snail and the Rosebush with the huge snail gazing up at the author, perhaps in awe of his imagination.