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Looking at my reflection, I can see myself in oversized golden pantaloons, visible exclusively in my view. Children sit in a stone basin pretending to be mermaids, while in the next room rests a speaking vegetable in a display case, alongside a imposing mound of mattresses. It embodies the universe of the beloved author (1805-1875), one of the 1800s most beloved storytellers. I find myself in Odense, located on Funen in the southern part of Denmark, to investigate the author's timeless impact in his native city many decades after his death, and to experience a handful of enchanted tales of my own.

The Exhibition: HC Andersens Hus

The H.C. Andersen Museum is the local cultural center celebrating the writer, featuring his original residence. A curator states that in earlier iterations of the museum there was minimal emphasis on the author's tales. The writer’s life was studied, but The Little Mermaid were nowhere to be found. For guests who visit this place looking for fairytale wonder, it was not quite enough.

The redevelopment of downtown Odense, diverting a main thoroughfare, created the chance to reconsider how the local celebrity could be commemorated. A prestigious architectural challenge gave the architects from Japan Kengo Kuma and Associates the contract, with the innovative curatorial vision at the heart of the design. The remarkable timber-clad museum with interlinked curving spaces opened to great fanfare in 2021. “We have attempted to create a space where we move beyond simply describing the author, but we speak in the manner of the storyteller: with wit, irony and viewpoint,” says the curator. The outdoor spaces take this approach: “The outdoor area for explorers and for giants, it's created to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he explains, an objective realized by thoughtful gardening, manipulating height, proportion and multiple meandering routes in a deceptively small space.

Andersen's Impact

Andersen wrote multiple memoirs and often contradicted himself. HC Andersens Hus embraces this concept fully; typically the opinions of his acquaintances or snippets of correspondence are displayed to gently question the author’s own version of happenings. “Andersen is the guide, but he's untrustworthy,” explains the expert. The result is a compelling whirlwind tour of Andersen’s life and art, thought processes and best-loved stories. It’s thought-provoking and fun, for mature visitors and kids, with a bonus underground fantasy realm, the fictional village, for the children.

Visiting the Town

In the physical town, the compact town of the municipality is delightful, with cobbled streets and traditional Danish homes colored in cheerful shades. The Andersen legacy is everywhere: the traffic lights show the writer with his distinctive top hat, brass footprints offer a complimentary pedestrian route, and there’s a art walk too. Every August this commitment reaches its height with the annual HC Andersen festival, which celebrates the writer's impact through visual arts, dance, stage shows and melodies.

Recently, the week-long event had numerous performances, many were without charge. While visiting the city, I encounter painted stilt-walkers, fantastical beings and an Andersen lookalike telling stories. I listen to empowering poetry and observe an remarkable evening show featuring athletic artists coming down from the city building and dangling from a mechanical arm. Still to come this year are presentations, creative sessions for all ages and, broadening the storytelling legacy beyond Andersen, the city’s yearly Magic Days festival.

All good enchanted locations require a palace, and the island contains numerous historic homes and stately homes throughout the region

Biking Adventures

As in most of Denmark, cycles are the perfect means to travel around in this town and a “cycling highway” winds through the urban core. From Hotel Odeon, I pedal to the public harbour-side swimming pool, then beyond the city for a circuit around Stige Ø, a compact territory linked by a road to the larger island. Town dwellers picnic here after work, or take pleasure in a peaceful time angling, aquatic activities or bathing.

In town, I visit a local eatery, where the culinary offerings is derived from the writer's motifs and tales. The literary work Denmark, My Native Land is highlighted at the restaurant, and owner the host reads extracts, presented in English, as he serves every dish. This is a practice commonplace in my time in Odense, the fynbo love a yarn and it seems that sharing tales is constantly on the menu here.

Manor House Visits

Each wonderful fairytale destinations require a castle, and Fyn boasts over a hundred manors and stately homes around the area. Traveling briefly from town, I explore Egeskov Castle, the region's most intact historic fortress. While much of it are open to visitors, the castle is also the private residence of the aristocratic owners and his wife, the royal resident. I contemplate if she might sense a tiny vegetable through a pile of {mattresses