In one sense, the city acts as an atlas of Andersen’s imaginary characters.įor visitors, H.C. Nearby, a fairy-tale sculpture trail inspired by Andersen starts with a bronze of the writer by the Odense River, before winding past sculptures of a paper boat, rainbow-colored butterflies, wild swans, a sea horse, shepherdess, chimney sweep, and darning needle to a petite mermaid. ( Ancient DNA reveals the true genetic diversity of Vikings.)įollow the cobbled streets of Andersen’s upbringing, from his dandelion-yellow childhood home on Munkemøllestræde to the riverbank, and you’ll discover Eventyrhaven (literally, the Fairytale Garden), with trimmed hedgerows, pergolas, and bridges.
The allure here is scattered Viking remnants and storybook heritage, not cutting-edge Danish design or New Nordic cuisine. The bones of these forts lie buried beneath the city, as do the remains of Denmark’s last Viking king, Canute IV, who was murdered in the city’s St. According to legend, the Viking-era city was home to Odin, the mythological god of wisdom, war, poetry, and magic its ramparts lined riverbanks to defend the city against coastal invaders. The story of Odense, located on Fyn Island, reads like a twisted Nordic fairy tale.
0 kommentar(er)
