I still have fond memories of living in a friend’s house in Odense, Denmark, for several enjoyable weeks. Odense is a very safe and friendly city, full of life and culture and with a fascinating history.
Odense is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen (above), but despite this claim to fame it doesn’t get the same level of publicity as Copenhagen. It should. One of Denmark’s oldest city’s, Odense is simply bursting with museums that record the ice age, the Viking period, 18th century village life, farming, the cold war and even the life of composer Carl Nielsen and his sculptor wife, Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen.
The Odense City Museum in particular should be seen by all visitors. It’s located in the heart of Odense’s historic district and called Møntergården. It consists of lovely courtyards and beautiful buildings from the 16th century to the present day.
With a population of more than 200,000 Odense is the main city of the island of Funen, right in the middle of Denmark, 167 kilometres south-west of Copenhagen.
