My Escapes Singapore Return to "Lion City" Paying a Visit to Merlion Park

Paying a Visit to Merlion Park

A small park area at the edge of the Central Business District, dedicated to Singapore's symbol - the Merlion, which has beautiful water-spitting statue there.
This place is facing the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.

In a weird way, only after having visited almost everything all around, did I find myself the time to find this beautiful huge Merlion statue.

Don't miss this when in Singapore - you can get there best via the Raffles Place or Esplanade MRT stations.

It stands 8.6 m tall, weighs 70 tonnes and it was created in 1972 by Singaporean sculptor, Lim Nang Seng.

Actually, the statue was initially place at the mouth of the Singapore River, then in 2002 it was moved to where it is today, at the edge of the Marina Bay.

This Merlion statue has even survived lightning strike. It was struck in early 2009 when chunks fell off of it, but repairs restored it to perfect condition.

About the Merlion...

The lion-headed mythical creature with siren-like body is the personified symbol of Singapore ("Lion City").

The words "mer" ("sea" in French) and "lion" (French/English) combined result in "Merlion".

Singapore's original Malay name was actually Singapura - meaning "Lion City".

It is said that sailors encountered such "sea lion" creatures several centuries ago.
Therefore the name of "Singapura" ("Lion City"), today Singapore...

Although it has become the symbol of Singapore, the Merlion isn't exclusively Singaporean or Asian.

In fact, it was present in ancient European heraldry... The lion wish a fishtail (the ancient Greeks and Etruscans have used it too).

The Merlion's spot itself is a great ground-level viewpoint. You can see the entire bay area from there, including the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, the ArtScience Museum and if you look to the right, you'll get a much better view of the Esplanade and Theatres on the Bay area than from the Marina Bay Sands Hotel's ground...

The Merlion's water jet creates a particular loud noise and the spit-out water lands at a distance of more than 10 m in the Marina Bay.

The water jet seems very powerful, you wouldn't want to stand in front of it!

The agglomerated Central Business District's skyscrapers are very near and so it the famous Fullerton Hotel. Just behind the Merlion statue.

From this viewpoint, the ArtScience Museum looks totally different. From here you get to see the part with the lotus' missing petals.

Zoomed in:

As you can see, besides the Merlion statue, there are vastly more attractions in the proximity. The views are splendid, but you can also take a short walk around (as I did)...

Of course, the area was already familiar, I was here several days before my Malaysian escape.

I revisited the Fullerton Hotel, the Esplanade Bridge and there's a shot from the old Anderson Bridge...

From here, I was able to admire a different view towards the Theatres on the Bay...

I was able to see the area from a totally new angle and enjoy it once again, but this time - differently.

Esplanade Bridge has a length of 280 m and was built in 1997. Rather new...

The bridge has an industrial feel, but the purple flowers brighten it up!

The bridge is very low. I suppose boat navigators must be skilled to be able to pass under it.

Suntec City in the background...

You can easily walk under the bridge... it has a peculiar design...

If was a lot more quiet down there. The water was green. This is where the Singapore River flows out into the Marina Bay.

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