Folk tale says a mermaid swam up the Vistula from the Baltic Sea and settled near what became Warsaw, charming fishermen with her song until merchants tried to trap her.
Freed by local fishermen, the mermaid swore to defend the city. She is shown armed, not decorative, a protector rather than a siren.
The Syrenka has appeared on Warsaw's coat of arms for centuries and became a resistance symbol during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.