Odense
Odense - a Fairy Tale kind of town ... is of course the birthplace of it's famous son Hans Christian Andersen, known locally as just HC, whose children tales were published worldwide during his lifetime (1805-1875).
The 1000 year old city maintain a museum dedicated to the life of Andersen in the old part of town as well as the building where he lived as a poor child of a washer woman and her shoemaker husband.
Another famous son is composer Carl Nielsen whose works are still on the repertoire of most symphony orchestra's throughout the world.
His birthplace house is also maintained as a museum in Nr.Lyndelse a small village just outside Odense.
The green city ... of almost 200,000 inhabitants with a vibrant low-rise city core, Odense is an interesting mix of old and new all blended in green and open spaces.
The river meanders right through the city center and along with it, is a network of hiking & biking paths some leading to historic Fyns Landsby, a village of 2 to 3 hundred year old farm buildings collected from around Fyn
and containing the farm implements & furniture of the period, all set in rambling landscape, surrounded by forest.
There is even an amphitheater where Andersons tales are performed in summer.
The hiking & biking path's are extended out of town to most parts of Fyn to form Denmark's longest network of over 250 kilometers dedicated hiking & biking system.
The city of Odense is a virtual treasury of things old, and include Hollufgaard a 1577 Manor estate, just outside the city.
Set in parkland, it has an archaeological exhibition of Fyn's stoneage as well as a research center on Man & Nature.
It mounts special exhibitions of all manner of things and has a permanent sculpture workshop in the guest studio.
For railroad buffs there is a railway museum which is one of the largest and finest in Europe.
Reproduction of a small town station, complete with locomotive & cars from turn of the century.
Also a model railroad.
The official city of Odense museum is Møntergården, which reflects urban history, in an extraordinary complex of large buildings from the 16th century with interiors and artifacts of everyday life, from that period.
A large building on main street, that used to be a clothing factory called Brandts, is now renovated and houses museums and exhibits focusing on contemporary visual art in all it's forms, including a photography, graphic art and press museum.
The centerpiece of Odense could be said to be The Castle, set in a stunning park with some unusual trees, or St.Knud church, also set in a large park traversed by the river and enhanced by numerous sculptures including a magnificent one of Hans Christian Andersen.
The church is the finest example of gothic architecture in Denmark and it's lower level contain the stone tomb of King Knud the Saint.
Odense, which takes it's name from, Odin, a Viking god, is located roughly in the center of Fyn island and also roughly in the middle of Denmark, has evolved to become an education center with a large modern university and many technical institutions.
Therefore the social life is vibrant, fostering a healthy cultural infrastructure of theater, orchestra's, casino, concert hall, athletic centers and a city core of pedestrian streets.
It's an ideal base for day excursions to about ten interesting & picturesque small towns on the coast, as well as islands just off the southern coast, Langeland, Erø, Tåsinge, each with rustic maritime history and flavour.
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