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In the mirror, I seem to have on enormous golden pantaloons, seen exclusively in my view. Youngsters relax in a stone basin imitating ocean creatures, meanwhile in the next room resides a talking pea in a showcase, next to a towering pile of bedding. This is the world of the beloved author (1805-1875), a leading nineteenth-century's most beloved storytellers. I'm visiting Odense, located on Fyn in the south of Denmark, to investigate the writer's enduring legacy in his birthplace many decades after his passing, and to find a few fairytales of my own.

The Exhibition: HC Andersens Hus

The H.C. Andersen Museum is the city’s cultural center honoring the writer, incorporating his original residence. An expert states that in previous versions of the museum there was scant attention on Andersen’s stories. His personal history was examined, but The Little Mermaid were missing. For tourists who travel to the city looking for narrative enchantment, it was not quite enough.

The redevelopment of downtown Odense, diverting a major road, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the local celebrity could be honored. A prestigious architectural challenge granted the architects from Japan Kengo Kuma and Associates the project, with the museum's fresh perspective at the heart of the design. The remarkable wood-paneled museum with interwoven spiral spaces launched to significant attention in 2021. “We’ve tried to build a place where we don’t talk about the writer, but we speak in the manner of the storyteller: with comedy, satire and viewpoint,” explains the curator. Even the gardens embrace this concept: “This is a landscape for strollers and for colossal creatures, it's planned to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he notes, an objective realized by thoughtful gardening, playing with elevation, size and multiple meandering routes in a deceptively small space.

Andersen's Impact

He authored multiple personal accounts and often provided conflicting accounts. HC Andersens Hus takes this approach to heart; frequently the views of his friends or snippets of letters are shown to gently question the writer's personal account of happenings. “The writer is the storyteller, but he's untrustworthy,” says the representative. The effect is a fascinating swift exploration of the author's biography and creations, thinking patterns and best-loved narratives. This is stimulating and fun, for mature visitors and children, with a additional lower-level make-believe land, the fictional village, for the smallest guests.

Exploring Odense

Back in the actual city, the compact town of the municipality is delightful, with stone-paved roads and old wooden houses finished in cheerful shades. The author's presence is everywhere: the traffic lights show the writer with his iconic formal headwear, metal shoe prints give a complimentary guided stroll, and there’s a art walk too. Annually in August this dedication reaches its height with the annual HC Andersen festival, which honors the writer's impact through creativity, dance, stage shows and musical performances.

This year, the seven-day festival had 500 shows, the majority were free. As I explore Odense, I meet painted stilt-walkers, ghoulish monsters and an Andersen lookalike narrating adventures. I hear contemporary performances and see an remarkable late-night performance with graceful performers lowering from the town hall and suspended from a crane. Future activities this year are lectures, hands-on activities and, broadening the narrative tradition past the author, the city’s regular wonder event.

Every excellent magical places need a palace, and this region features numerous historic homes and estates throughout the region

Pedaling Through History

Similar to other Danish regions, cycles are the best way to get about in the city and a “cycling highway” winds through the downtown area. From my accommodation, I cycle to the free port-side aquatic facility, then out of town for a route around the nearby islet, a tiny landmass linked by a road to the primary land. City residents have outdoor meals here after work, or enjoy a tranquil moment fishing, water sports or bathing.

In the city, I visit Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the food selection is based on author-inspired concepts and stories. The literary work the national ode appears at the restaurant, and manager the host recites passages, rendered in English, as he introduces the meal. This is a practice repeated often in my visit, the local residents love a yarn and it seems that storytelling is continuously available here.

Historic Estate Tours

All good enchanted locations deserve a castle, and this region contains over a hundred manors and manor houses throughout the region. Going on excursions from town, I explore Egeskov Castle, Europe’s finely maintained moated palace. Despite parts are accessible to the public, this historic site is also the family home of Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and his wife, Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. I wonder if she can feel a small legume through a stack of {mattresses