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Reflected back at me, I can see myself in huge golden pantaloons, visible exclusively in my view. Youngsters relax in a water feature imitating ocean creatures, while adjacent resides a speaking vegetable in a showcase, beside a towering pile of cushions. It represents the world of H.C. Andersen (1805-1875), among the 1800s most beloved writers. I’m in the city of Odense, located on Funen in the southern region of the Danish kingdom, to explore Andersen’s timeless impact in his native city 150 years after his demise, and to discover a couple of enchanted tales of my own.

The Cultural Center: The Andersen Museum

HC Andersens Hus is the town's exhibition space dedicated to the writer, featuring his first home. A curator states that in previous versions of the museum there was scant attention on the author's tales. The writer’s life was explored, but The Ugly Duckling were missing. For tourists who visit Odense looking for fairytale wonder, it was not quite enough.

The redevelopment of Odense city centre, diverting a major road, created the chance to reconsider how the renowned native could be celebrated. A major architecture competition awarded the architects from Japan Kengo Kuma and Associates the contract, with the innovative curatorial vision at the core of the structure. The distinctive wooden museum with interlinked spiralling spaces opened to much acclaim in 2021. “We’ve tried to create a space where we move beyond simply describing Andersen, but we speak in the manner of the storyteller: with humour, satire and viewpoint,” explains the representative. The landscape design embrace this concept: “This is a landscape for wanderers and for large beings, it's created to give you a sense of smallness,” he explains, an objective achieved by clever planting, manipulating verticality, scale and many winding paths in a unexpectedly limited space.

Andersen's Impact

The author penned multiple memoirs and regularly changed his story. The exhibition takes this approach to heart; frequently the opinions of his acquaintances or snippets of correspondence are shown to subtly challenge the his narrative of incidents. “The author is the narrator, but his account isn't always accurate,” explains the representative. The result is a compelling whirlwind tour of Andersen’s life and work, mental approaches and best-loved tales. It is thought-provoking and whimsical, for grown-ups and children, with a bonus underground imaginary world, the pretend town, for the children.

Exploring Odense

In the real world, the compact town of the municipality is charming, with stone-paved roads and old wooden houses finished in vibrant hues. The writer's influence is all around: the traffic lights feature the writer with his distinctive characteristic hat, bronze footmarks give a no-cost guided stroll, and there’s a art walk too. Every August this dedication reaches its height with the annual Andersen celebration, which marks the writer's impact through visual arts, movement, theatre and musical performances.

During my visit, the multi-day festival had numerous performances, most of which were free. As I explore this place, I encounter painted stilt-walkers, spooky creatures and an author double telling stories. I hear feminist spoken-word pieces and see an amazing nocturnal display with graceful performers lowering from the municipal structure and dangling from a construction equipment. Future activities in the coming months are presentations, family art workshops and, broadening the narrative tradition beyond Andersen, the city’s regular wonder event.

All good fairytale destinations need a fortress, and the island boasts 123 castles and manor houses around the area

Cycling and Exploration

Like much of the country, bicycles are the best way to travel around in the city and a “cycling highway” meanders through the city centre. Departing from the local hotel, I ride to the complimentary harbour-side swimming pool, then out of town for a route around Stige Ø, a tiny landmass linked by a road to the primary land. Local inhabitants have outdoor meals here after work, or take pleasure in a quiet hour catching fish, paddleboarding or taking a dip.

In the city, I visit Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the food selection is based on author-inspired concepts and stories. The literary work Denmark, My Native Land appears at the restaurant, and manager Nils Palmqvist reads extracts, translated into English, as he introduces the meal. Such encounters repeated often in my days in the city, the local residents love a yarn and it appears sharing tales is constantly on the menu here.

Historic Estate Tours

Each wonderful magical places require a castle, and the island features over a hundred manors and stately homes across the island. Traveling briefly from town, I explore the historic fortress, the continent's finely maintained moated palace. Despite parts are open to visitors, Egeskov is also the family home of the aristocratic owners and his wife, the royal resident. I contemplate if she might sense a small legume through a mound of {mattresses