Poseidon

On Götaplatsen in the center of Gothenburg stands the imposing bronze statue of Poseidon, a city landmark created by Carl Milles in 1931. The sea god, standing seven and a half meters tall, strikes a dynamic contrapposto pose on a spiral-shaped pedestal. In his hands he holds a spouting fish sculpture and a snail shell, while his head is crowned with a stylized seashell. The surrounding fountain basin is richly decorated with seaweed, lobsters, crabs, fish, corals, and shells that underscore the maritime theme. Six smaller sculptures and reliefs depicting tritons, nymphs, and mermaids complete the ensemble.

The monument's history goes back to the Gothenburg Exhibition of 1923, where a temporary plaster version was on display. The bronze you see today was not unveiled until 1931, after the original fountain complex had been completed in 1927. Milles deliberately gave the figure long legs to lend the work a less academic character, which caused controversy at the time. Over the decades, the statue has been restored several times, most recently in 2011, to remove rust, algae, and moss and to protect the surface with a special wax. Despite a few acts of vandalism and some humorous costumes, Poseidon remains a fixture of the cityscape and draws visitors who come to marvel at the richly detailed underwater world in the fountain basin.