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Reflected back at me, I can see myself in oversized golden pantaloons, visible only to me. Youngsters sit in a water feature pretending to be mermaids, while in the next room rests a talking pea in a showcase, beside a tall pile of mattresses. It represents the domain of H.C. Andersen (1805-1875), a leading nineteenth-century's widely adored storytellers. I’m in this Danish town, on the island of the island of Fyn in the south of the Danish kingdom, to investigate the author's lasting influence in his native city a century and a half after his death, and to discover a couple of enchanted tales of my own.

The Exhibition: HC Andersens Hus

The H.C. Andersen Museum is the city’s cultural center dedicated to the writer, incorporating his first home. An expert states that in previous versions of the museum there was minimal emphasis on the author's tales. Andersen's biography was explored, but The Little Mermaid were nowhere to be found. For tourists who come to this place seeking fairytale wonder, it was not quite enough.

The renovation of Odense city centre, rerouting a main thoroughfare, created the chance to reconsider how the renowned native could be commemorated. An international design contest granted the Japanese company Kengo Kuma and Associates the contract, with the curators’ new approach at the core of the design. The unique timber-clad museum with interlinked spiral spaces opened to great fanfare in 2021. “Our goal was to design an environment where we move beyond simply describing the author, but we speak in the manner of Andersen: with wit, irony and viewpoint,” says the representative. The outdoor spaces take this approach: “This is a landscape for explorers and for giants, it's planned to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he says, an objective achieved by strategic landscaping, playing with elevation, scale and multiple meandering routes in a unexpectedly limited space.

The Writer's Legacy

Andersen wrote two and a half memoirs and regularly provided conflicting accounts. The museum takes this approach seriously; typically the opinions of his friends or snippets of correspondence are displayed to politely doubt the his narrative of events. “The writer is the guide, but his account isn't always accurate,” explains the curator. The outcome is a fascinating swift exploration of his personal story and art, mental approaches and best-loved tales. It’s stimulating and whimsical, for mature visitors and youngsters, with a extra underground fantasy realm, Ville Vau, for the children.

Visiting the Town

Back in the real world, the small city of this Danish city is picturesque, with cobbled streets and historic timber buildings finished in cheerful shades. The author's presence is everywhere: the traffic lights show the author with his signature characteristic hat, brass footprints provide a complimentary Andersen walking tour, and there’s a art walk too. Annually in August this commitment culminates with the annual storytelling event, which marks the author’s legacy through art, performance, drama and musical performances.

This year, the multi-day celebration had 500 shows, many were free. During my time in Odense, I come across painted stilt-walkers, ghoulish monsters and an Andersen lookalike narrating adventures. I experience contemporary performances and observe an incredible nocturnal display including athletic artists lowering from the municipal structure and suspended from a mechanical arm. Upcoming events this year are lectures, creative sessions for all ages and, broadening the storytelling legacy further than the writer, the city’s regular enchantment celebration.

Every excellent magical places deserve a castle, and this region boasts numerous historic homes and stately homes throughout the region

Pedaling Through History

Like other Danish regions, bicycles are the ideal method to get about in Odense and a “cycling highway” meanders through the city centre. Departing from the local hotel, I pedal to the complimentary harbour-side swimming pool, then beyond the city for a route around Stige Ø, a compact territory linked by a road to the primary land. City residents have outdoor meals here in the evening, or enjoy a tranquil moment angling, paddleboarding or bathing.

Back in Odense, I visit the themed restaurant, where the culinary offerings is based on the writer's motifs and narratives. The literary work the national ode appears when I visit, and proprietor the host shares excerpts, rendered in English, as he introduces the meal. It’s an experience commonplace in my visit, the fynbo enjoy storytelling and it seems that sharing tales is continuously offered here.

Manor House Visits

All good magical places require a fortress, and the island contains over a hundred manors and estates across the island. Traveling briefly from town, I tour Egeskov Palace, Europe’s finely maintained Renaissance water castle. While much of it are available for tours, this historic site is also the family home of the noble family and his wife, Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. I wonder if she would notice a pea through a stack of {mattresses