Odense, Denmark - Tour guide. Odense, Denmark: interesting facts and sights Sights of Denmark - the city of Odense

Odense is the capital of the island of Funen and the third largest city in Denmark. This university town (145,000 inhabitants; 185,000 metropolitans) is the administrative center of Funen. Odense is a port city, the country's shipbuilding center and a manufacturing center for electrical equipment, steel, iron, textiles and timber. Although the city has changed a lot since his famous son Hans Christian Andersen walked its streets, it is still possible to find a few unspoiled places.

Odense (translated as "Odin's sanctuary") is one of the oldest Danish cities, celebrating its millennium in 1988. The Danish king Knud was killed here in the church of St. Alban in 1086. Long before Odense became a center of pilgrimage for worshipers Andersen, it was a spiritual center and a place of religious pilgrimage in the Middle Ages.

Many tourists who come here are attracted solely by the fame of Hans Christian Andersen. The city authorities made every effort to carefully restore the two houses in which the famous storyteller spent his childhood. In the first of them, a very modest dwelling, located in a poor quarter of the city, Andersen spent his infancy, and in the second, standing behind the cathedral, in the center of a lush park that now bears the name of the storyteller, Andersen lived until 1819.

In Odense, at every step you hear the name of Hans Christian Andersen. According to the circulation of his books, he is, in modern terms, a "superstar", in addition, he is a characteristic bearer of the image of "doll" Denmark, and in many countries he is known much better than in his own country. He has written more than 150 fairy tales for children and adults.

Legends developed around Andersen's personality, since the public at the beginning of the 19th century. could not allow a young man from the lower strata of society to make a career as a highly respected writer. Rumor considered him the illegitimate son of King Christian VIII, according to another version, he was known as the offspring of a certain aristocrat. The facts are as follows: Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense in the family of a street shoemaker and laundress and grew up in extreme poverty. At the age of 14, he goes to Copenhagen and unsuccessfully tries to enter the Royal Theater as an apprentice actor or dancer. But he manages to make a breakthrough to the heights of glory only as a storyteller, while his work in other areas of literature, as well as the drawings and silhouettes he carved, remain almost unknown.

He died and was buried in the capital of Denmark in 1875, but the most important memories of the most famous Dane are connected with the city of Odense.

The city center contains many pedestrian streets, great shops, small cafes and restaurants where you can enjoy life with the locals. St. Knud Cathedral, Andersen Museum, Art Museum, Funen Village Museum, Carl Nielsen Museum, Odense City Museum are the most interesting sights of the city. Not far from Odense is the most magnificent castle - Egesköv.

In summer, Odense takes on a festive atmosphere with many outdoor entertainment options including all styles of music, drama and street theatre.

The Cathedral of St. Knud, built in the 13th century, houses the relics of King Knud the Holy, who fell victim to a popular uprising in 1086. The pulpit of the 18th century is magnificent, a large organ, as well as an amazing gilded folding altar, 5 meters high and 6 meters wide, with 300 characters, carved by the German master Klaus Berg.

The church of St. John, built in Gothic forms in the 15th century at the monastery of St. John of Jerusalem, was transformed in the middle of the 18th century by King Frederick IV into a baroque residence, Odense Castle. The construction of the port in 1804 gave a powerful impetus to the economic development of the city.

The historical center of the city of Odense begins south of the railway line, opposite the station. It seems that you are walking in a park with paths for cyclists and those who want to get closer to the green banks of the river, which is also called Odense.

The houses do not cover the sky, the streets and quarters are spacious. Green areas, churches, museums, red brick monasteries create a charming atmosphere. In Viking times, the city was called Nonnebakken, and later began to be called by its current name, which means "sanctuary of the god Odin."

Transport links to Odense were greatly improved when the ferry service between the two main Danish islands, Zeeland and Fyn, was replaced by a bridge across the Great Belt. This bridge is the second longest suspension bridge in the world. The construction of the bridge has significantly reduced the travel time between Odense and the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

Odense is the very city where the great storyteller Hans Christian Andersen was born. When you get to this city, you seem to be transported into children's fairy tales with gingerbread houses and tiled roofs, which we all remember so much from the illustrations for his books. This picturesque city attracts thousands of tourists every year, thanks to its unique color and the spirit of fairy tales, here the heroes of children's stories are found at every step, in the form of monuments, of course.

Odense is one of the oldest cities in Denmark, its third largest city. It is located on the picturesque island of Funen and is its administrative center. Odense is located on the banks of the river of the same name, next to the city is the fjord of the same name. The foundation of the city is considered to be 988, but some scholars argue that a Viking settlement previously existed on this site. This is evidenced by one of the powerful fortresses located in the south, which was built in the 970s.

• Founded: 1355;
• Area: 304 km²;
• Timezone: UTC+1, summer UTC+2;
• Population: 178,200.

Get to the city

Odense can be reached in several ways. The first is to use the train that goes from Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg. You can also use the bus service from Copenhagen. Many prefer this way to get to Odense. The road passes over the bridge, the third longest in the world and the longest suspension bridge in Europe. The panorama is incredible - it's a wonderful little trip.

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Weather

The geographical position of the city is very clearly affects its weather conditions. And although the city can be visited year-round, in the autumn-winter period, there is abundant precipitation in the form of rain and even snowfalls, more than usual. The best time to visit Odense is summer. In the vicinity of the city there are many rivers and lakes, as well as dense forests. The hottest months are July and August, the average temperature of which is +15 - 19 degrees. Winters are cloudy and gloomy, the temperature stays around zero.

Anderson Museum

The Andersen Museum is perhaps one of the main reasons why tourists come here. The museum is located on Bangs Boder Street 29, and is open from 10-00 to 16-00, Monday is a day off. Here you can see the personal belongings of the storyteller, look at his manuscripts and letters, walk through his library. In the main building there are expositions dedicated to his fairy tales and books. In general, the whole atmosphere in Odense is saturated with Anderson's fairy tales, here eighteen sculptures of the heroes of his fairy tales are scattered throughout the city. There is also Andersen Park, where you should also take a walk.

Attractions

In addition to the Andersen theme, Odense has many more attractions worthy of attention. You should definitely see the Cathedral of St. Knud, which attracts with its external and internal decoration. The red-brick Gothic cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. There is also a gilded carved altar. Walking through Odense, take a look at the Funen village - "an open-air museum". There are small houses of peasants among the most picturesque gardens and orchards. In addition to all of the above, in Odense there is the Church of St. Hans, the Odense Palace and the Franciscan monastery, now a nursing home.

In general, coming to Odense, it is worth making a trip around the whole island of Funen, there are quite a lot of natural and architectural attractions. For example, in the city of Nyborg there is a castle of the same name, built in 1170. Or, just 30 kilometers from Odense, there is another unique building - this is the Egeskov castle. This castle was built during the Renaissance, right in the middle of the lake in 1554. Today this castle is open to the public and houses a museum.

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Once the poorest area of ​​the city, it has been painstakingly repaired, mothballed and put on display like a fragile antique toy. Small multi-colored houses with tiled roofs and flower bushes under the windows look absolutely gingerbread. And yet, this is not only a tourist attraction, but also an ordinary residential quarter, the inhabitants of which are no different from the rest of the townspeople.

In the very center of the old quarter, at the intersection of Hans Jensens Straede and Bangs Boder, stands the house where Andersen was born.

Here it is, just like on the old postcard.

In fact, Andersen's birthplace is not exactly known: the writer was ashamed of his origin and reluctant to talk about his family. After Andersen was awarded the title of honorary citizen of the city of Odense in 1867, the local newspaper published a report in which this corner house was named the birthplace of the great countryman, where the writer's grandmother once lived with her two eldest daughters. Andersen himself never confirmed the correctness of the newspapers, either sincerely not remembering the place where he spent the first two years of his life, or not wanting to be associated with the city slums, where almost a third of children were born out of wedlock. In 1905, on the centenary of the writer, the city authorities decided to organize a museum here. After 3 years, a small exposition was opened to the public.

From the inside, the house seems quite spacious. But at the time of Andersen, it had three apartments, in which about 20 people lived. The room occupied by the Andersen family overlooks Hans Jensens Sträede. The view from the window is the same as 200 years ago. Almost.

The writer's own things are not here - they are collected in the Andersen Museum adjoining the house. Inside, the typical furnishings of the dwelling of the urban poor of the early 19th century are recreated: a stove, a work table, a bed, and modest decorations on the walls. Everything is toy-small to fit in cramped rooms.

"In 1805, in the city of Odense, in a poor closet, a young couple lived - husband and wife, who loved each other endlessly. It was a young twenty-two-year-old shoemaker, a richly gifted poetic nature, and his wife, several years older, who knew neither life nor light , but with a rare heart. The husband only recently became a master and with his own hands knocked together all the furnishings of his workshop and the marriage bed. On this bed went a wooden platform, on which, shortly before, the coffin with the remains of Count Trumpe stood during a sad ceremony. Survivors on the boards the beds of black cloth strips still reminded of their former purpose, but instead of the count's body, wrapped in crepe and surrounded by burning candles in candlesticks, on April 2, 1805, a living, crying child lay on this bed, I am Hans Christian Andersen.(G.-H. Andersen "The Tale of My Life")

The bed is not just small, it is sitting - in those days, sleeping with pillows tucked high under the back was considered good for health. At the same time, materials and living space were saved.

Andersen's grandfather, Anders Hansen, was a peasant. He worked as a shoemaker - the same profession was inherited by his son, the writer's father - and earned enough to buy a small house. Unfortunately, the shoemaker Hansen soon lost his mind. The family fell into poverty. As a child, Andersen was terribly afraid of the visits of a mentally ill grandfather, and until the end of his life he was possessed by the fear of losing his mind. The maternal grandmother was the poorest of the poor. All three of her daughters were born out of wedlock, for which she was even sentenced to imprisonment on bread and water in the city hall. She later married an apprentice furrier just released from a local prison, and after his death, a night watchman. Having been widowed for the second time, she was forced to turn to a workhouse that took care of the poor.

The writer's second cousin was convicted of begging and stealing firewood. His portrait, hanging on the wall of one of the rooms, was made from a photograph from the police archive. However, a patched-patched frock coat speaks rather not about the vicious inclinations of its owner, but about need and despair.

Andersen spoke about his mother in the sad story "Lost". “Water ran from the matting with which she tied around her waist, flowed from the hem of her skirt. “I work with all my might, blood almost splatters from under my nails! !" In her "everything was heart," her son would later write.

Despite the more than modest furnishings, the house does not make a depressing impression. This is honest poverty, which is told in good faith and with participation. "Greenery and paintings decorated our little room, which my mother kept clean and tidy; her pride was snow-white sheets and short window curtains." These people lived hard, but tried to maintain dignity and love for each other. And they managed to make sure that their son's childhood was happy and, if possible, joyful.
However, it did not take place in this house. But that is another story...

If you walk to the end of the street, a small square will open, on the corner of which the building of the Radisson Hotel is built. It's worth stopping here. The facade of the hotel is decorated with 3 bronze pillars, on which the heroes of three Andersen's fairy tales are intricately intertwined: "Hans Chump", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". The work of renowned Danish sculptor Jens Galschot is extremely expressive and rich in detail.

Opposite the hotel, Thumbelina peeps out of a flower,

And at the entrance, the storyteller himself sat down to rest. His company is often made up of local residents.

The inhabitants of Odense have a respectful attitude towards the great countryman, but without servility. This is especially noticeable in the monuments placed in the key places of the "Andersen route". The monument to the writer behind the Cathedral of St. Knud is strict and traditional:

And here is a laid-back barefoot figure from the central square:

Unfortunately, she had already left the city: the sculpture by Jens Galschot was supposed to be the central part of a large fountain. But the city authorities stopped funding, and the sculptor, in protest, sank his creation in shallow water in the port of Odense.

But those arriving in Odense by rail are met by a three-headed giant by Bjorn Norgaard. The sculpture is called "Traveler, Storyteller and Shadow" and, according to the author's intention, should reflect the versatility of talent and the inconsistency of the writer's character.

Characters from popular fairy tales can be found on busy shopping streets and inconspicuous courtyards.

The steadfast tin soldier took up his post on the edge of the old quarter

Ancient Odense (Odense, "Sanctuary of Odin") is the third largest city in Denmark, the capital of the island of Funen, a picturesque park city. It is easy to believe that it was in this city that the storyteller Andersen was born - gingerbread houses and tiled roofs, as if descended from the illustrations for his books, haunt the tourist at every turn. In addition, the houses where the writer was born and lived for many years are carefully guarded in Odense, and the heroes of his fairy tales are found everywhere on the streets (of course, in the form of monuments).

How to get there

The city is located near the fjord of the same name, you can get here by train from Copenhagen (278 DKK, 1.5 hours), Aarhus (245 DKK, 1¾ hours), Esbjerg (220 DKK, 1.5 hours). Or from the capital by bus over a suspension bridge (travel time ~ 1.5 hours). The bus station is located near the station at the address: Dannebrogsgade, 6.

Funen Garden Island, whose capital is Odense, is located away from the Zeeland Islands, across the picturesque Great Belt Strait. To connect these dots, the enterprising Danes built a grandiose structure - a bridge 7 km long, the second longest in the world. Needless to say, a bus ride along it is a separate attraction?

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A bit of history

The first mention of Odense dates back to 988 documents. However, there is evidence that much earlier than this time there was also a Viking settlement, which was called Nonnenbakken. In the south of Odense, one of the powerful fortresses with that name, built in the 970s by King Svein Vistulabeard, has survived to this day.

Weather in Odense

Transport

The city is easy to get around on foot, by bike or by bus. In the latter case, boarding is always made through the front doors, the ticket is purchased from the driver (25 DKK, it is better to have the amount without change). The main transit point where almost all routes converge is the stop in front of the Church of St. Knud (Sankt Knuds Kirke). All buses except for number 71 also pass by the bus station, which is located next to the railway. Odense Banegard Center station.

A taxi rank can be found in front of the station or ordered by calling Odense Taxa: 661-544-15.

Looking around Odense, in no case should you lose sight of the wonderful open-air museum Funen Village.

parking

Those who come to Odense by car should know that driving in the city, apart from rush hours when everyone is going to or from work, is quite easy. However, most of the attractions are located in the pedestrian zone, so it's best to park your four-wheeled friend and explore the city on foot.

Near the city center there is marked parking along the streets, which is paid in special machines in small change (it is worth stocking up with coins). Seats fill up quickly, but you shouldn't be upset: next to Brandts Klædefabrik, Carl Nielsen Museet and the railway. stations have special large parking lots. The cost is 12 DKK per hour.

By bike

There are several shops in the city center where you can rent a bike, such as City Cycler (Vesterbro 27; 10:00-17:30pm Mon-Fri, until 13:00 on Sat). The rental price is about 100 DKK per day.

There are also special bike tours in Odense from the Cycling Embassy company, the cost is about 4000 DKK for a group of up to 25 people, check the details at the information office.

Popular hotels in Odense

Entertainment and attractions in Odense

On the main square of the city there is a town hall, a cathedral, a travel agency and two monuments: one, as you might guess, to Andersen, the second to St. Knud. Here we will tell you more about it, because the Cathedral of St. Knud (Odense Domkirke / Skt. Knuds Kirke) is one of the main attractions of the city.

Cathedral of Saint Canute

The cathedral is interesting not only for its architecture and rich interiors, but also for its sad history. For many centuries, the remains of the Danish king Knud and his brother, who were killed by the rebellious nobles in 1086 in the church of St. Alban, have been buried in the temple. The consequences of this murder for the country ushered in dark times. For several years, then Denmark suffered from crop failure, which at that time was perceived as God's punishment for a crime committed in a sacred place - a temple. Mystical horror gave rise to rumors about miracles taking place on the graves of the dead. Which led in 1101 to the canonization of King Knud, and turned Odense into one of the main places of general pilgrimage.

The influx of pilgrims could not accommodate the small wooden church of St. Alban, and in 1300 the construction of a new temple began. But it ended only after 200 years. Today, the red-brick Gothic cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful in the country. Here is a unique gilded carved altar, which depicts 300 biblical characters, as well as a large gilded triptych (1534) by the master Claus Berg from Lübeck.

But, perhaps, the main thing for which tourists come to Odense is the romantic atmosphere of the city in which the most famous storyteller in the world, Hans Christian Andersen, was born.

Funen Village

Looking around Odense, in no case should you lose sight of the wonderful open-air museum "Funian Village" (Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, adults 75-110 DKK, groups of 10 people - 65-100 DKK, children up to 17 years - free of charge). There are small cozy houses of peasants, surrounded by picturesque gardens or kitchen gardens.

Approximate time for a visit is at least an hour to walk slowly along the narrow paths, admire the nature and architecture of ancient Odense, look into the houses and get acquainted with the life and customs of the peasantry of the 18-19 centuries.

Address: Sejerskovvej, 20.

Egeskov Castle

Odense and Andersen

But, perhaps, the main thing for which tourists come to Odense is the romantic atmosphere of the city in which the most famous storyteller in the world, Hans Christian Andersen, was born. Here he spent his childhood, from here he began his life, I must say, very difficult.

It is worth taking a walk in the Andersen Park, where his monument is located, the Odenet River with a pretty island and a “paper” boat (in fact, it turned out to be iron). Another Andersen place is at Munkemøllestræde, 3-5. It was here that the writer spent his childhood.

In general, about 18 sculptures on the theme of Andersen's fairy tales are scattered on the streets of Odense, the big-eyed dog from "Flint" is especially good, whose eyes are "the size of the Round Tower."

In the Andersen Museum (Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00, adults 95 DKK, groups of 10 people - 90 DKK, children under 17 years old - free of charge) you can see his personal belongings, manuscripts, letters, walk through the library. A modern building adjoins the miniature house - the main exposition: illustrations for his fairy tales, Andersen's books translated into different languages, and much more. Address: Bangs Boder 29.

Other sights in Odense

It is worth visiting the Church of St. Hans (Sct. Hans Kirke), standing next to the palace, on Nørregade Street, the beautiful Odense Slot Palace (now the city council meets here), the Franciscan Graabroedre kloster monastery (now a nursing home).

Also noteworthy is the Odin Tower (Odinstårnet), built in 1935. It was once the second tallest tower in Europe. In 1944, a group of Danish Nazis blew it up, after which the tower was not rebuilt, but only a miniature memorial layout was left.

Other attractions: the Gothic Church of St. Alban (Sct. Albani Kirke), the old Montergarden Mint, the Church of the Virgin Mary (Vor Frue Kirke), Nonnebakken Hill (Nun Hill).

In general, about 18 sculptures on the theme of Andersen's fairy tales are scattered on the streets of Odense, the big-eyed dog from Flint is especially good.

Egeskov Castle

30 km from Odense, there is another unique attraction of the island of Funen - Egeskov Castle, built in the Renaissance in 1554 right in the center of the lake. The foundation of this structure is thousands of oak trunks, which are driven vertically into the bottom of the lake. Hence the name of the castle, which means "oak forest".

Not only the picturesque outskirts of the castle attract attention, but also the interior: antique furniture, paintings, hunting trophies are presented in abundance within the walls of the Egeskov fortress. Around the same - a park with a magnificent botanical garden, many orchids, sedately strolling peacocks, curly trimmed bushes, a labyrinth of two hundred years old, but still living bamboo.