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Reflected back at me, I can see myself in huge golden pantaloons, seen just for my eyes. Kids sit in a water feature acting as sea nymphs, meanwhile adjacent resides a chatting legume in a exhibition box, next to a towering stack of bedding. This is the world of Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), a leading nineteenth-century's highly cherished authors. I’m in Odense, on the island of Funen in the southern part of this Nordic country, to discover the author's enduring legacy in his birthplace a century and a half after his passing, and to discover a handful of magical stories of my own.

The Exhibition: The Andersen Museum

Andersen's House is the city’s museum celebrating the author, including his first home. A museum representative states that in earlier iterations of the museum there was scant attention on the author's tales. Andersen's biography was explored, but Thumbelina were missing. For visitors who travel to Odense looking for fairytale wonder, it was somewhat disappointing.

The renovation of Odense city centre, redirecting a primary street, provided the opportunity to reimagine how the renowned native could be commemorated. An international design contest gave Japanese firm Kengo Kuma and Associates the commission, with the innovative curatorial vision at the core of the structure. The unique timber-clad museum with interwoven spiralling spaces opened to significant attention in 2021. “We have attempted to create a space where we move beyond simply describing the author, but we speak in the manner of the storyteller: with comedy, irony and outlook,” explains the representative. Even the gardens take this approach: “This is a landscape for wanderers and for large beings, it's planned to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he notes, a goal accomplished by thoughtful gardening, playing with elevation, size and multiple meandering routes in a unexpectedly limited space.

The Writer's Legacy

Andersen wrote two and a half autobiographies and frequently contradicted himself. The exhibition embraces this concept to heart; typically the views of his companions or excerpts of letters are shown to subtly challenge the his narrative of events. “The writer is the narrator, but he’s not reliable,” explains the curator. The outcome is a fascinating whirlwind tour of the author's biography and creations, thinking patterns and most popular tales. This is thought-provoking and fun, for grown-ups and children, with a extra lower-level fantasy realm, the fictional village, for the children.

Exploring Odense

Back in the real world, the modest urban center of Odense is picturesque, with historic pathways and traditional Danish homes finished in bright colours. The author's presence is all around: the road indicators display the author with his signature formal headwear, bronze footmarks provide a complimentary Andersen walking tour, and there’s a outdoor exhibition too. Annually in August this commitment peaks with the annual HC Andersen festival, which honors the author’s legacy through visual arts, movement, drama and music.

Recently, the week-long event had numerous performances, most of which were complimentary. During my time in the city, I meet artistic acrobats, ghoulish monsters and an writer impersonator narrating adventures. I hear empowering poetry and observe an remarkable evening show with graceful performers lowering from the town hall and dangling from a crane. Upcoming events this year are talks, hands-on activities and, extending the storytelling legacy further than the writer, the city’s regular enchantment celebration.

All good magical places need a palace, and Fyn features numerous historic homes and estates around the area

Pedaling Through History

Similar to other Danish regions, cycles are the ideal method to navigate in the city and a “cycling highway” meanders through the downtown area. From my accommodation, I ride to the public waterside bathing area, then beyond the city for a route around Stige Ø, a tiny landmass joined by a bridge to the primary land. Town dwellers picnic here in the evening, or enjoy a quiet hour fishing, water sports or bathing.

Returning to Odense, I visit Restaurant Under Lindetræet, where the food selection is inspired by the writer's motifs and stories. The literary work the patriotic piece appears at the restaurant, and manager the restaurateur recites passages, rendered in English, as he presents each course. This is a practice frequent in my days in the city, the island inhabitants love a yarn and it feels as though narrating is continuously offered here.

Historic Estate Tours

Each wonderful magical places deserve a fortress, and this region boasts over a hundred manors and stately homes across the island. Traveling briefly from Odense, I visit Egeskov Castle, Europe’s finely maintained moated palace. Despite parts are accessible to the public, this historic site is also the personal dwelling of the aristocratic owners and his wife, the princess. I ponder if she might sense a small legume through a mound of {mattresses