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Looking at my reflection, I seem to have on oversized golden pantaloons, visible just for my eyes. Children relax in a water feature acting as ocean creatures, meanwhile adjacent sits a chatting legume in a showcase, beside a tall pile of mattresses. It embodies the world of the beloved author (1805-1875), one of the nineteenth-century's highly cherished authors. I find myself in this Danish town, situated in the island of Fyn in the south of the Danish kingdom, to investigate Andersen’s enduring legacy in his birthplace 150 years after his passing, and to experience a couple of fairytales of my own.

The Exhibition: HC Andersens Hus

Andersen's House is the city’s museum honoring the storyteller, featuring his childhood house. A museum representative explains that in earlier iterations of the museum there was scant attention on the author's tales. Andersen's biography was examined, but The Little Mermaid were nowhere to be found. For guests who come to the city seeking storytelling magic, it was not quite enough.

The redesign of the city center, redirecting a main thoroughfare, made it possible to reimagine how the renowned native could be commemorated. A prestigious architectural challenge gave the architects from Japan the Kengo Kuma team the commission, with the innovative curatorial vision at the center of the design. The unique timber-clad museum with interlinked spiralling spaces opened to significant attention in 2021. “Our goal was to build a place where we don’t talk about the author, but we speak in the manner of him: with humour, sarcasm and perspective,” says the curator. The outdoor spaces take this approach: “This is a landscape for strollers and for colossal creatures, it's created to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he says, an objective achieved by strategic landscaping, manipulating verticality, size and numerous twisting trails in a deceptively small space.

The Writer's Legacy

Andersen wrote multiple autobiographies and frequently changed his story. The museum takes this approach fully; often the opinions of his friends or fragments of correspondence are presented to politely doubt the author’s own version of events. “Andersen is the storyteller, but his account isn't always accurate,” notes the representative. The outcome is a compelling rapid journey of the author's biography and work, thought processes and favorite narratives. It is provocative and fun, for adults and youngsters, with a extra lower-level imaginary world, Ville Vau, for the smallest guests.

Discovering the City

In the real world, the modest urban center of Odense is picturesque, with stone-paved roads and old wooden houses finished in bright colours. The writer's influence is everywhere: the street signals feature the author with his iconic formal headwear, metal shoe prints give a no-cost Andersen walking tour, and there’s a art walk too. Each summer this focus reaches its height with the regular storytelling event, which celebrates the his influence through creativity, movement, stage shows and music.

During my visit, the week-long celebration had 500 shows, most of which were without charge. During my time in Odense, I come across colorful performers on stilts, fantastical beings and an author double telling stories. I hear contemporary performances and see an amazing evening show with acrobatic dancers lowering from the town hall and hanging from a construction equipment. Future activities this year are lectures, family art workshops and, expanding the narrative tradition further than the writer, the city’s annual Magic Days festival.

Every excellent magical places need a castle, and this region contains over a hundred manors and estates around the area

Cycling and Exploration

Similar to much of the country, bikes are the ideal method to get about in Odense and a “bicycle route” meanders through the downtown area. Starting at the local hotel, I pedal to the complimentary waterside bathing area, then out of town for a circuit around the nearby islet, a small island connected by causeway to the mainland. Local inhabitants have outdoor meals here in the evening, or appreciate a quiet hour catching fish, aquatic activities or bathing.

Returning to the city, I visit a local eatery, where the menu is based on the writer's motifs and tales. The verse the patriotic piece is featured when I visit, and manager the host shares excerpts, translated into English, as he serves every dish. Such encounters frequent in my visit, the fynbo enjoy storytelling and it feels as though narrating is constantly offered here.

Manor House Visits

Each wonderful fairytale destinations require a fortress, and this region boasts 123 castles and estates around the area. Traveling briefly from Odense, I visit the historic fortress, Europe’s best-preserved Renaissance water castle. While much of it are accessible to the public, this historic site is also the private residence of the noble family and his wife, the royal resident. I ponder if she might sense a tiny vegetable through a pile of {mattresses