🔗 Share this article

Looking at my reflection, I can see myself in oversized shimmering pantaloons, perceptible only to me. Kids play in a water feature acting as ocean creatures, and nearby rests a talking pea in a exhibition box, next to a tall pile of mattresses. It represents the universe of the beloved author (1805-1875), one of the nineteenth-century's highly cherished authors. I find myself in Odense, located on Funen in the southern part of the Danish kingdom, to discover Andersen’s timeless impact in his native city many decades after his demise, and to find a handful of magical stories of my own.

The Exhibition: The Andersen Museum

HC Andersens Hus is the town's museum dedicated to the storyteller, including his childhood house. A curator explains that in past designs of the museum there was scant attention on his fairytales. The writer’s life was explored, but Thumbelina were missing. For visitors who come to Odense seeking fairytale wonder, it was not quite enough.

The redevelopment of Odense city centre, redirecting a primary street, created the chance to reconsider how the renowned native could be commemorated. A prestigious architectural challenge gave the architects from Japan Kengo Kuma and Associates the commission, with the curators’ new approach at the core of the structure. The unique timber-clad museum with interwoven curving spaces launched to significant attention in 2021. “We’ve tried to build a place where we avoid discussing the writer, but we talk like Andersen: with wit, sarcasm and viewpoint,” says the representative. The outdoor spaces embrace this concept: “This is a landscape for wanderers and for large beings, it’s designed to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he notes, a goal accomplished by clever planting, playing with elevation, size and numerous twisting trails in a unexpectedly limited space.

Andersen's Impact

The author penned multiple personal accounts and often contradicted himself. The exhibition embraces this concept fully; often the views of his friends or excerpts of letters are displayed to gently question the author’s own version of incidents. “The writer is the storyteller, but he’s not reliable,” explains the curator. The result is a fascinating whirlwind tour of his personal story and work, thought processes and best-loved stories. It’s provocative and playful, for mature visitors and children, with a extra lower-level make-believe land, the pretend town, for the children.

Discovering the City

Returning to the real world, the compact town of this Danish city is charming, with stone-paved roads and traditional Danish homes painted in cheerful shades. The Andersen legacy is everywhere: the road indicators display the writer with his iconic characteristic hat, brass footprints provide a complimentary guided stroll, and there’s a sculpture trail too. Annually in August this focus peaks with the yearly storytelling event, which celebrates the author’s legacy through visual arts, performance, stage shows and musical performances.

During my visit, the multi-day festival had numerous performances, most of which were complimentary. As I explore Odense, I come across colorful performers on stilts, fantastical beings and an writer impersonator sharing tales. I listen to empowering poetry and observe an remarkable evening show with athletic artists coming down from the city building and suspended from a mechanical arm. Still to come this year are lectures, creative sessions for all ages and, expanding the storytelling legacy past the author, the city’s annual Magic Days festival.

Each wonderful enchanted locations deserve a castle, and Fyn contains 123 castles and manor houses across the island

Pedaling Through History

Similar to most of Denmark, cycles are the perfect means to get about in Odense and a “cycling highway” winds through the downtown area. Departing from my accommodation, I cycle to the public port-side aquatic facility, then into the countryside for a route around the nearby islet, a compact territory connected by causeway to the mainland. Local inhabitants relax with food here in the evening, or enjoy a quiet hour fishing, paddleboarding or bathing.

In town, I eat at Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the food selection is based on the writer's motifs and stories. The poem the national ode is highlighted during my meal, and manager Nils Palmqvist recites passages, rendered in English, as he presents each course. Such encounters commonplace in my days in the city, the island inhabitants love a yarn and it seems that narrating is always offered here.

Historic Estate Tours

All good fairytale destinations deserve a fortress, and Fyn contains numerous historic homes and estates throughout the region. Taking day trips from Odense, I tour Egeskov Palace, the region's best-preserved historic fortress. Despite parts are open to visitors, the castle is also the personal dwelling of Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and his partner, the princess. I ponder if she might sense a tiny vegetable through a pile of {mattresses