, Odense
Nonnebakken, a hill in the Odense area, is the site of one of Denmark's six former
Viking ring castles, built during the reign of
Sweyn Forkbeard, who had forced his father
Harold Bluetooth to leave the country and seek refuge by the
Jomsvikings in
Wollin (modern Poland) in around 975. The fort provided its occupier the command of the Odense River passing next to the hill. The archaeological remains of the fort were heavily damaged when a building for the
Odd Fellow lodge was constructed on the site during the late nineteenth century.
Churches Odense is the
see of the
bishop of
Funen.
Saint Canute's Cathedral () was formerly connected with the great
Benedictine monastery of the same name, and is one of the largest and finest buildings of its kind in Denmark. Originally dating from 1081 to 1093, the church was rebuilt in the 13th century in brick in a pure
Gothic style. Under the altar lies
Canute (Danish:
Knud), the patron saint of Denmark
St Alban's Church, built in the
Neogothic style and consecrated in 1908, is the Roman Catholic church of Odense. Its steeple is high. St Mary's Church (
Vor Frue Kirke or Our Lady's Church), built in the 13th century and restored in 1851–1852 and again in 1864, contains a carved 16th-century altarpiece by Claus Berg of
Lübeck.
St John's Church (
Sankt Hans Kirke), first mentioned in 1295, was built by the
Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of Saint John. Not much of the original building remains as it was rebuilt in 1636 and subsequently restored. Built of red brick with horizontal decorations on the chancel wall, it has large Gothic windows. The date of 1496 on one of the bells in the step-ribbed tower may well be the year the church was completed. The tower is adjacent to Odense Palace which was originally built as a monastery.
Ansgars Church was the first church to be built in Odense since the Middle Ages. Completed in 1902, it was designed by
Niels Jacobsen in the late
Romanesque style in red brick on granite foundations. The cross-shaped interior is complemented by a spired bell-tower, high. The
Peace Church (
Fredenskirke) consecrated in 1920 was so named in gratitude for the end of the
First World War. The church was the work of
Peder Vilhelm Jensen-Klint who went on to design Copenhagen's
Grundtvig's Church.
City Hall Odense's
City Hall (
Odense Rådhus), with its medieval Italian look, was designed by
Johan Daniel Herholdt and
Carl Lendorf in the
Historicist style. Completed in 1883, it combines red masonry with sandstone decorations,
stepped gables and a saw-tooth course. It stands on the site of a smaller building from 1480. In 1937
Bent Helveg-Møller won the competition for the building's enlargement. The tower over the main entrance was torn down in 1942 but was not rebuilt. As work was delayed during the war, the extension was not completed until 1955. In conjunction with Hans Christian Andersen's 200th anniversary in 2005, comprehensive renovation work was completed on the building's interiors, including the entrance halls, meeting rooms, banqueting hall and council chamber.
Palaces and theatres Odense Palace was erected by Frederick IV, who died there in 1730. Now an administrative building, it stands on the site of
Sankt Hans Kloster, a 15th-century monastery which was transferred to the Crown in 1536. The main white Baroque wing with 13 bays was designed by
J.C. Krieger for Frederick IV and completed in 1723. Set in a park, the
King's Garden was constructed to a French design by
Johan Cornelius Krieger.
Odense Teater, first established in 1796, is Denmark's second oldest theatrical enterprise and one of the country's three main theatres. The original building was on Sortebrødre Torv was used until 1914 when a new building designed by Jacobsen was opened on Jernbanegade. It has three stages:
Store Scene,
Værkstedet, and
Foyerscenen. The theatre also has stages in the former sugar factory
Sukkerkogeriet, where it runs the first drama school outside Copenhagen established in 1941. It is notable in theatrical history for staging the première of
Henrik Ibsen's first contemporary realist drama
The Pillars of Society on 14 November 1877.
Teater Momentum or Teater uden Ryglæn, publicly funded by the municipal government and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, is also of note. Established in 2005, it signs on a new director each year who is charged with creating the "volume" of the year with a set of plays and performers. It also puts on other cultural entertainment including concerts, debates, lectures and poetry.
Odense Symphony Orchestra (Odense Symfoniorkester), one of Denmark's five regional orchestras, was formally established in 1946. The orchestra is based in Odense Concert Hall, which was inaugurated in 1982. Most of the orchestra's concerts are given in the Carl Nielsen Hall, a seating capacity of 1,212 and a large 46-stops organ built by
Marcussen & Son. First established in 1948,
Funen Opera (
Den Fynske Opera) was reopened in 1996 after a period of closure. It specializes in presenting contemporary operas in Danish.
Hans Christian Andersen connections Remembered above all for his
fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense in 1805. It is thought his birthplace is the small yellow house on the corner of Hans Jensens Stræde and Bangs Boder in the old town. In 1908 the house was opened as the
Hans Christian Andersen Museum. It documents his life from his childhood years as the son of a struggling shoemaker, to his schooling, career as an author, and later life, with artefacts providing an insight into his acquaintances and adventures. Andersen's childhood home Throughout the city there are numerous statues and sculptures representing characters from the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. They include the Steadfast Tin Soldier, the Mermaid, the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep, the Toad, the Darning Needle, the Emperor's New Clothes, the Sea Horse, the Paper Boat, the Flying Trunk and the Wild Swans. A statue of Andersen stands in
Eventyrhaven (The Fairy Tale Park), beside the cathedral. Sculpted by
Louis Hasselriis in 1888, it shows the storyteller with a book in his hand, ready to entertain onlookers with his fairy tales.
Museums The museums in Odense are mainly governed by the
Odense City Museums, a department of the municipal government.
Funen's Art Museum (Fyns Kunstmuseum), formerly The Museum of Funen Diocese, was one of Denmark's oldest art museums, dating to 1885. It contained the principal works by
Jens Juel,
Dankvart Dreyer,
P.S. Krøyer and
H. A. Brendekilde. The museum is now closed and all works transferred to the Kunstmuseum Brandts.The open-air
The Funen Village museum (
Den Fynske Landsby) tries to emulate what country life was like in Denmark at the time of Andersen's life and contains houses of historical Odense. Another focus area is sustainability and circular economy and what that entailed in the 1800s. The
Carl Nielsen Museum is dedicated to the life of
Carl Nielsen and his wife, the sculptor
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen. It documents his life from his childhood in the town of Nr. Lyndelse, to his career and success on the European music scene, with his violins, his bugle and his grand piano on display, as well as a number of his musical scores, including six symphonies, three concertos, two operas, and chamber music and numerous songs. The
Møntergården - now Museum TID - cultural history museum of Odense is one of the most notable remaining
Renaissance buildings of the city, built in 1646 by the nobleman
Falk Gøye. It has many artefacts related to the early Viking history in Odense, and was named after the narrow street Møntestræde adjacent to the building, where a coin workshop once operated in around 1420. Located in a courtyard of half-timbered houses, the museum also has exhibits on Funen's ancient history, as well as Odense in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The
Danish Railway Museum is the national
railway museum of Denmark, the largest such museum in Scandinavia. It was established in 1975 in a former engine shed adjacent to the city's main railway station and has an area of over , with some 50 locomotives and railway carriages on 20 rail tracks from all periods of Danish rail history. The oldest steam engine dates back to 1869. Kunstmuseum Brandts is situated in the old industrial quarter and showcases Danish and international art. Over the years it has housed various semi-permanent exhibitions like the
Brandts Museum of Photographic Art, The Media Museum, and the classic collection from the former Fyns Kunstmuseum. It was founded on 13 September 1985 as part of the
Brandts International Centre for Art and Culture and opened its own exhibition space in 1987. Tidens Samling (HANDS-ON Museum of fashion and interior 1900–1999) shows Danish design and fashion from the 20th century. Decade after decade you can walk through the recent past,´. == Education ==