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In the mirror, I appear to be wearing enormous golden pantaloons, seen only to me. Children play in a rock pool acting as ocean creatures, meanwhile nearby rests a speaking vegetable in a showcase, beside a towering pile of mattresses. It embodies the domain of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), one of the 19th century’s highly cherished storytellers. I'm visiting this Danish town, on the island of the island of Fyn in the south of the Danish kingdom, to explore the author's enduring legacy in his birthplace 150 years after his death, and to discover a few fairytales of my own.

The Cultural Center: HC Andersens Hus

The H.C. Andersen Museum is the city’s museum celebrating the storyteller, incorporating his childhood house. An expert states that in past designs of the museum there was scant attention on the author's tales. Andersen's biography was examined, but The Little Mermaid were absent. For tourists who travel to the city looking for storytelling magic, it was a little lacking.

The redevelopment of the city center, rerouting a main thoroughfare, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the renowned native could be commemorated. A major architecture competition awarded the architects from Japan the renowned designers the commission, with the innovative curatorial vision at the core of the design. The distinctive wooden museum with connected curving spaces debuted to much acclaim in 2021. “Our goal was to create a space where we move beyond simply describing the writer, but we talk like him: with comedy, irony and outlook,” notes the expert. The landscape design take this approach: “This is a landscape for explorers and for giants, it's created to make you feel small,” he notes, a challenge realized by clever planting, manipulating elevation, size and many winding paths in a unexpectedly limited space.

Andersen's Impact

The author penned two and a half memoirs and regularly provided conflicting accounts. The exhibition adopts this philosophy fully; frequently the perspectives of his acquaintances or snippets of written messages are presented to subtly challenge the writer's personal account of incidents. “The author is the narrator, but his account isn't always accurate,” notes the expert. The outcome is a compelling rapid journey of his personal story and work, thought processes and favorite stories. This is stimulating and playful, for adults and children, with a additional lower-level imaginary world, Ville Vau, for the children.

Visiting the Town

In the actual city, the modest urban center of the municipality is charming, with stone-paved roads and historic timber buildings colored in vibrant hues. The Andersen legacy is everywhere: the road indicators feature the storyteller with his iconic formal headwear, brass footprints provide a complimentary guided stroll, and there’s a sculpture trail too. Each summer this focus peaks with the regular storytelling event, which honors the writer's impact through art, movement, stage shows and music.

Recently, the multi-day event had 500 shows, most of which were without charge. While visiting the city, I come across painted stilt-walkers, fantastical beings and an Andersen lookalike narrating adventures. I listen to feminist spoken-word pieces and observe an amazing evening show featuring acrobatic dancers lowering from the town hall and hanging from a construction equipment. Still to come in the coming months are presentations, family art workshops and, broadening the oral history past the author, the city’s annual Magic Days festival.

All good enchanted locations deserve a castle, and Fyn contains numerous historic homes and stately homes throughout the region

Pedaling Through History

Similar to other Danish regions, bikes are the ideal method to get about in Odense and a “bike path” curves through the urban core. Departing from the local hotel, I ride to the public waterside bathing area, then out of town for a route around Stige Island, a small island joined by a bridge to the larger island. Town dwellers have outdoor meals here in the evening, or enjoy a peaceful time fishing, water sports or bathing.

Returning to Odense, I eat at Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the menu is derived from the writer's motifs and narratives. The verse the patriotic piece appears during my meal, and proprietor Nils Palmqvist reads extracts, rendered in English, as he serves every dish. It’s an experience repeated often in my time in Odense, the fynbo enjoy storytelling and it appears storytelling is continuously offered here.

Historic Estate Tours

Every excellent fairytale destinations need a fortress, and the island features 123 castles and manor houses around the area. Traveling briefly from town, I explore Egeskov Castle, the continent's best-preserved historic fortress. While much of it are available for tours, Egeskov is also the personal dwelling of Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and his wife, the royal resident. I ponder if she would notice a small legume through a stack of {mattresses