Odense Things to Do

Also known as Saint Canute (Sct Knud), there has been a church here since 1095 (Canute himself died in 1086). It has since been expanded and changed several times into the Gothic brick building you find here today, but is the only Danish cathedral still standing in its old church place. It has a very nice altarpiece by Claus Berg.

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Coming from railway families in England and Sweden, we are happy when we can take the opportunity to see a national museum. The Danish one has a good collection of engines as you would expect, and an interesting exhibition on the Orient Express. However, I have to say I missed something on the WORKERS of the railway, which you get in Sweden. To be fair to the Danes, they don't have the harsh climate of Lapland to build railways in, but it is still nice to pay tribute to those who slaved by building a country's railways. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy myself. I found the information on Danish railways during the war very interesting, with engineers' drawings hidden to save them from destruction. I also enjoyed the double-decker commuter train! Finally, the very special Danish thing here is of course the relation between trains and ferries. A nation full of islands and only recently with more bridges, there are lots of ships models and other such information on trains at sea.

We had been told to leave the cathedral but no one could see us in the hall so I could have a good look at the two statues. Both looked interesting in their own way so I could not just give one a miss.

The cathedral is certainly worth a look inside. It was a very short look in my case as we were shown the door soon after we entered. A man was saying something to us in Danish indicating the door. However, having noticed the marvellous altar, I pretended not to understand him and went on towards it. I begged him to let me take just one picture - for the Internet (yes, I used VT, but for a worthy cause). I insisted and he gave up. Here is the result. The altarpiece, carved by Claus Berg and centering around the motif of Christ's Crucifixion, dates back to about 1521 and comprises over 300 figures. If you want to see it magnified, visit the cathedral's website. The church also has a magnificent organ and is the venue of many concerts. I would have liked to see the crypt as well - but no chance.

The monument to Hans Christian Andersen is situated in front of the Town Hall. The great writer is quite formally dressed, wearing a waistcoat under his jacket and a scarf but his trouser legs are rolled up and he is barefooted - a reference to the poverty he suffered in his childhood and youth I suppose. Or perhaps to show his sympathy for the poor and disdain for appearances and pretence.

Right opposite the main entrance to St. Knud's (Canute's) Cathedral you can see two interesting sculptures, one of St. John the Evangelist with the eagle and the other of St. Matthew the Evangelist. Both date back to 1649 and come from the old altar, which must have been a real masterpiece as well. They are the more interesting that you can see the saints much better now than when they were on the altar.

The entrance to the museum devoted to H. C. Andersen and his works is at the back of the house he was born in. It was cleverly added to his first home so that you have to cross all its halls to find yourself in the small cottage at the end. It's a completely modern building however and is in stark contrast to the other houses in the area, with which it shares one feature only - the sloping roof. The museum presents the life of the famous writer in the form of frescoes painted by Niels Larsen Stevns in 1932 in the Commemorative Hall to take you later to the little yellow corner house where up to five families dwelt at the same time. You can see the writer's belongings, letters, drawings and paper cutouts, together with numerous editions of his books. You can listen to the fairy tales or have a look at pages of his books on the computer screen. A fascinating place for children and adults alike.
The enormous flower swan in front of the building is part of the town's yearly Flower Festival, dedicated to the great writer this year. The ugly duckling that he himself had been turned into the beautiful swan he became later in life.

Opening hours:
daily 9.00 - 19.00, 1.09 -15.06 - 10.00 - 16.00

Admission:
Adults - DKK 50, children - DKK 20

This narrow passage connects Vestergade with Slotsgade, and several other passages that intersect Vintapperstæde make it possible to use the passage as a shortcut between Vestergade and Kongensgade and other parts of the city center.
The passage is filled with restaurants, bars, hairdressers etc.