The small bronze mermaid sitting on the Vilnia riverbank near the Užupio Kavinė has become the unofficial symbol of the Republic of Užupis. She looks out over the water with an expression that is ambiguous enough to mean anything — serene, melancholy, mildly amused. The sculptor, Romas Vilčiauskas, placed her here in 2001.
According to local legend (enthusiastically propagated by the republic's citizens), travelers who meet the mermaid's gaze are destined to stay in Užupis forever. The neighbourhood's population of artists and bohemians treats this as a feature. The mermaid is a five-minute walk from the old town across the republic's main bridge.