🔗 Share this article

In the mirror, I appear to be wearing enormous golden pantaloons, visible only to me. Children sit in a rock pool imitating mermaids, meanwhile adjacent sits a talking pea in a exhibition box, alongside a towering stack of mattresses. This is the world of the beloved author (1805-1875), a leading 1800s most beloved writers. I'm visiting this Danish town, situated in the island of Fyn in the south of this Nordic country, to investigate the author's timeless impact in his home town 150 years after his passing, and to find a few enchanted tales of my own.

The Cultural Center: HC Andersens Hus

HC Andersens Hus is the local exhibition space celebrating the storyteller, incorporating his first home. A museum representative states that in earlier iterations of the museum there was scant attention on his fairytales. Andersen's biography was studied, but Thumbelina were nowhere to be found. For guests who visit this place seeking storytelling magic, it was not quite enough.

The renovation of the city center, redirecting a major road, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the local celebrity could be celebrated. A major architecture competition granted Japanese firm Kengo Kuma and Associates the project, with the curators’ new approach at the core of the layout. The distinctive wooden museum with interlinked spiral spaces debuted to much acclaim in 2021. “We’ve tried to create a space where we move beyond simply describing Andersen, but we communicate similarly to Andersen: with comedy, satire and perspective,” explains the curator. The outdoor spaces follow this philosophy: “It’s a garden for explorers and for large beings, it’s designed to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he explains, a goal accomplished by clever planting, playing with height, proportion and multiple meandering routes in a unexpectedly limited space.

The Writer's Legacy

The author penned multiple autobiographies and regularly contradicted himself. The exhibition takes this approach fully; typically the views of his companions or fragments of written messages are presented to gently question the author’s own version of happenings. “Andersen is the storyteller, but his account isn't always accurate,” says the expert. The result is a compelling whirlwind tour of Andersen’s life and work, thinking patterns and most popular narratives. It’s provocative and playful, for adults and kids, with a bonus lower-level make-believe land, the fictional village, for the youngest visitors.

Exploring Odense

Back in the physical town, the compact town of Odense is picturesque, with historic pathways and historic timber buildings painted in vibrant hues. The Andersen legacy is all around: the street signals show the writer with his distinctive top hat, bronze footmarks provide a no-cost pedestrian route, and there’s a art walk too. Every August this dedication reaches its height with the yearly Andersen celebration, which honors the writer's impact through creativity, movement, stage shows and melodies.

This year, the seven-day event had hundreds of events, the majority were complimentary. As I explore this place, I meet artistic acrobats, ghoulish monsters and an Andersen lookalike sharing tales. I experience feminist spoken-word pieces and see an amazing nocturnal display with acrobatic dancers coming down from the city building and dangling from a crane. Future activities this year are lectures, hands-on activities and, extending the oral history past the author, the city’s regular wonder event.

Each wonderful enchanted locations deserve a fortress, and the island features numerous historic homes and stately homes across the island

Biking Adventures

Similar to much of the country, bicycles are the ideal method to travel around in this town and a “bike path” curves through the downtown area. Starting at Hotel Odeon, I cycle to the public harbour-side swimming pool, then out of town for a circuit around Stige Island, a small island joined by a bridge to the larger island. City residents have outdoor meals here following their day, or enjoy a quiet hour angling, paddleboarding or swimming.

In the city, I visit Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the food selection is inspired by author-inspired concepts and narratives. The poem Denmark, My Native Land is highlighted at the restaurant, and owner the host reads extracts, translated into English, as he serves every dish. It’s an experience commonplace in my days in the city, the fynbo love a yarn and it appears sharing tales is always available here.

Historic Estate Tours

Every excellent fairytale destinations deserve a fortress, and Fyn features over a hundred manors and manor houses across the island. Traveling briefly from the city, I explore the historic fortress, the region's most intact Renaissance water castle. Despite parts are open to visitors, the castle is also the private residence of the noble family and his spouse, the royal resident. I ponder if she can feel a tiny vegetable through a pile of {mattresses