Odense is Denmark’s third largest city and the largest city on Funen Island. Historically, the city is known from the year 988, when it was mentioned in writing, but the area has been inhabited since the Stone Age. The city arose by the river Odense Å, and in the Viking Age several fortifications were built along the river as protection against attacks from the sea. In the 11th century, Odense grew into a larger city in Denmark, but there was also unrest in connection with the collection of taxes. It ended with King Canute the Holy being murdered in Saint Albani Church in 1086.

In the Middle Ages, several churches and monasteries were built in the growing city, and Odense was granted market town rights in 1335. Throughout the 1500s and 1600s, the city’s prosperity increased not least through cattle sales, and many merchant houses were built in the city during this period. The latter half of the 17th century and the 18th century, however, became a time of stagnation due to increased taxes. Approximately 4,000 people lived in Odense in 1700, and from 1720 a canal was dug to strengthen the city’s harbor and growth. The 19th century was characterized by development in trade and industrialization with continued expansion.

Today, Odense is a cozy city with many opportunities for lovely walks between interesting sights. You can start at the city’s town hall square, where Odense city hall stands as one of the city’s most impressive buildings. The town hall was designed by Carl Lendorf and J.D. Herholdt and erected 1881-1883 in Italian-Gothic style. South of the town hall is Saint Canute’s Church, which is named after Saint Canute, who was murdered in the nearby Saint Albani Church.

The church was constructed from the end of the 13th century, after an earlier church burned down. Remains of this can be seen in the crypt. The church has a beautiful and bright interior, and you should pay particular attention to Claus Berg’s beautiful altarpiece from around 1520. Saint Canute’s Church today has the status of a cathedral, and the church is the final resting place of several Danish kings such as Canute the Holy, Erik Lam, Hans and Christian II.

Next to the cathedral is the Klosterhaven, which was created as a well-arranged herb garden in the 1920s. You can also visit Eventyrhaven, a beautifully landscaped and cozy garden that was established by the Reading Association in 1876. The Reading Association was an association for the wealthy, and you could only visit the garden with an access card until 1942, when Odense Municipality got the possession of the garden. Since then, many new things have been added, such as the circular pergola and Louis Hasselris’ statue of H.C. Andersen, which was put up in 1949.

The Eventyrhaven is located along the Odense Å, where you can go for some lovely walks in green surroundings. Not far to the west is Munke Mose, where you can take a boat trip with Odense Aafart along a part of the Odense Å to the city’s zoo and to Fruens Bøge. At Fruens Bøge, you can visit The Funen Village/Den Fynske Landsby, which is an interesting open-air museum with houses and farms as they typically looked on Funen from the 16th-19th centuries.

There is one thing in Odense that is more famous than anything else, and that is the fairytale poet Hans Christian Andersen. In the street Munkemøllestræde you can see the half-timbered house where Andersen lived with his parents from the time, he was 2 to 14 years old. The rooms are furnished according to Andersen’s own description. At the address Hans Jensens Stræde 43 is the corner house, which is considered the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, and behind the house is the city’s large and modern museum for the Andersen’s story and works. At the museum, you go through an exploration of Andersen, which is depicted through his world-famous works.

There are also other museums in the city, such as Denmark’s Railway Museum, where you can experience the country’s railway history in an interesting way with exhibition of royal carriages, diesel locomotives and Denmark’s first steam locomotive. Close to this is Odense Castle, located in the King’s Garden. The castle was built as a Johannite monastery, which after the Reformation passed to the king’s property. Next to the castle is the Odense Theatre, which opened in 1796 as the second theater in the country. The current neo-baroque theater building was inaugurated in 1914.