🔗 Share this article

Looking at my reflection, I appear to be wearing enormous gilded pantaloons, seen just for my eyes. Youngsters play in a water feature acting as sea nymphs, while adjacent resides a chatting legume in a exhibition box, beside a imposing stack of mattresses. It represents the universe of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), one of the 1800s highly cherished storytellers. I find myself in Odense, situated in the island of Fyn in the south of Denmark, to discover the author's timeless impact in his native city 150 years after his passing, and to experience a handful of enchanted tales of my own.

The Cultural Center: H.C. Andersen's House

Andersen's House is the local museum dedicated to the storyteller, featuring his childhood house. A museum representative explains that in earlier iterations of the museum there was minimal emphasis on the author's tales. The writer’s life was examined, but The Little Mermaid were nowhere to be found. For guests who visit Odense looking for storytelling magic, it was a little lacking.

The redevelopment of downtown Odense, diverting a main thoroughfare, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the local celebrity could be celebrated. A major architecture competition awarded the architects from Japan the Kengo Kuma team the project, with the curators’ new approach at the center of the layout. The unique wood-paneled museum with interwoven spiral spaces debuted to great fanfare in 2021. “We have attempted to create a space where we don’t talk about the author, but we speak in the manner of him: with humour, irony and outlook,” says the expert. The outdoor spaces embrace this concept: “This is a landscape for explorers and for colossal creatures, it's created to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he explains, an objective achieved by strategic landscaping, manipulating height, scale and many winding paths in a surprisingly compact space.

The Writer's Legacy

Andersen wrote several memoirs and often contradicted himself. HC Andersens Hus takes this approach to heart; often the opinions of his acquaintances or fragments of letters are displayed to gently question the writer's personal account of happenings. “Andersen is the storyteller, but his account isn't always accurate,” explains the curator. The outcome is a engaging swift exploration of his personal story and creations, mental approaches and favorite tales. This is provocative and fun, for grown-ups and youngsters, with a additional lower-level fantasy realm, the fictional village, for the children.

Exploring Odense

In the actual city, the compact town of the municipality is picturesque, with cobbled streets and traditional Danish homes finished in vibrant hues. The author's presence is all around: the road indicators show the author with his distinctive characteristic hat, bronze footmarks offer a complimentary guided stroll, and there’s a art walk too. Each summer this commitment reaches its height with the regular storytelling event, which celebrates the writer's impact through visual arts, dance, drama and melodies.

Recently, the multi-day festival had 500 shows, most of which were free. As I explore Odense, I encounter painted stilt-walkers, fantastical beings and an writer impersonator narrating adventures. I listen to empowering poetry and see an remarkable evening show including graceful performers coming down from the city building and hanging from a mechanical arm. Upcoming events in the coming months are presentations, creative sessions for all ages and, broadening the oral history past the author, the city’s regular enchantment celebration.

Each wonderful fairytale destinations need a castle, and Fyn contains 123 castles and estates around the area

Cycling and Exploration

Like most of Denmark, bicycles are the ideal method to navigate in this town and a “cycling highway” curves through the urban core. From my accommodation, I ride to the free waterside bathing area, then into the countryside for a loop around the nearby islet, a compact territory linked by a road to the primary land. Town dwellers relax with food here following their day, or appreciate a quiet hour angling, aquatic activities or bathing.

Back in town, I dine at the themed restaurant, where the culinary offerings is derived from Andersen themes and tales. The poem the patriotic piece is featured during my meal, and manager the host recites passages, presented in English, as he introduces the meal. This is a practice frequent in my days in the city, the island inhabitants love a yarn and it appears storytelling is constantly available here.

Manor House Visits

Each wonderful magical places deserve a palace, and the island features numerous historic homes and manor houses around the area. Taking day trips from Odense, I explore the historic fortress, Europe’s finely maintained Renaissance water castle. While much of it are accessible to the public, the castle is also the family home of the noble family and his spouse, the royal resident. I ponder if she might sense a small legume through a mound of {mattresses