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Reflected back at me, I can see myself in oversized shimmering pantaloons, seen just for my eyes. Kids relax in a rock pool pretending to be sea nymphs, and in the next room resides a speaking vegetable in a display case, next to a tall stack of bedding. This is the world of the beloved author (1805-1875), among the 1800s most beloved writers. I'm visiting Odense, located on Fyn in the southern part of Denmark, to explore Andersen’s lasting influence in his home town 150 years after his demise, and to find a couple of fairytales of my own.

The Museum: The Andersen Museum

HC Andersens Hus is the local museum celebrating the author, featuring his first home. A curator states that in past designs of the museum there was scant attention on Andersen’s stories. His personal history was explored, but The Ugly Duckling were nowhere to be found. For tourists who visit the city seeking fairytale wonder, it was somewhat disappointing.

The redevelopment of the city center, rerouting a primary street, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the city’s most famous son could be honored. A prestigious architectural challenge granted the architects from Japan Kengo Kuma and Associates the commission, with the museum's fresh perspective at the core of the layout. The distinctive wood-paneled museum with connected spiral spaces launched to significant attention in 2021. “We’ve tried to create a space where we move beyond simply describing the writer, but we talk like the storyteller: with humour, irony and perspective,” explains the representative. The outdoor spaces follow this philosophy: “The outdoor area for wanderers and for giants, it's planned to give you a sense of smallness,” he explains, an objective achieved by clever planting, playing with verticality, scale and numerous twisting trails in a surprisingly compact space.

Andersen's Impact

The author penned several personal accounts and regularly provided conflicting accounts. The museum embraces this concept fully; typically the perspectives of his companions or fragments of correspondence are presented to politely doubt the writer's personal account of incidents. “Andersen is the guide, but his account isn't always accurate,” notes the expert. The outcome is a fascinating rapid journey of the author's biography and work, thinking patterns and most popular tales. It is thought-provoking and whimsical, for adults and youngsters, with a additional lower-level imaginary world, the pretend town, for the youngest visitors.

Exploring Odense

Back in the actual city, the compact town of the municipality is delightful, with stone-paved roads and traditional Danish homes colored in vibrant hues. The Andersen legacy is everywhere: the traffic lights display the author with his signature characteristic hat, brass footprints provide a no-cost guided stroll, and there’s a sculpture trail too. Annually in August this dedication culminates with the annual storytelling event, which honors the his influence through art, dance, theatre and melodies.

During my visit, the week-long celebration had numerous performances, the majority were free. During my time in Odense, I come across colorful performers on stilts, spooky creatures and an writer impersonator narrating adventures. I experience contemporary performances and witness an amazing nocturnal display featuring athletic artists descending from the municipal structure and hanging from a mechanical arm. Future activities this year are talks, family art workshops and, expanding the oral history further than the writer, the city’s regular wonder event.

All good magical places deserve a castle, and the island contains 123 castles and estates throughout the region

Biking Adventures

Similar to most of Denmark, bicycles are the perfect means to navigate in Odense and a “bike path” curves through the urban core. From my accommodation, I pedal to the free port-side aquatic facility, then into the countryside for a circuit around the nearby islet, a small island joined by a bridge to the mainland. Local inhabitants picnic here after work, or appreciate a peaceful time angling, water sports or taking a dip.

In the city, I eat at a local eatery, where the culinary offerings is inspired by the writer's motifs and narratives. The poem the national ode appears when I visit, and owner the host reads extracts, translated into English, as he presents each course. This is a practice commonplace in my visit, the local residents enjoy storytelling and it appears sharing tales is continuously offered here.

Historic Estate Tours

All good enchanted locations deserve a palace, and this region contains 123 castles and estates across the island. Traveling briefly from the city, I explore the historic fortress, the continent's finely maintained historic fortress. Although large sections are open to visitors, the castle is also the personal dwelling of the noble family and his wife, Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. I ponder if she might sense a tiny vegetable through a stack of {mattresses