The one-legged military figure outside a branch of Nelle's cafe-bar is not to commemorate a historical conflict but represents the Tin Soldier, sad hero of a HC Andersen tale in which the disabled fellow falls in hopeless, poetic love with a paper ballerina, to be finally if accidentally united with her on their pyre.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
15.75 MILES
Complete with moat and drawbridge, Egeskov Slot is a magnificent example of the lavish castles that sprang up during Denmark’s 'Golden Age'. Though still…
0.43 MILES
For train buffs, this fabulous video-rich museum is almost reason enough to come to Denmark. The core collection of over 30 engines and wagons, ranging…
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2.09 MILES
Wind back the clock to the 1850s at this delightful open-air museum, a landscaped 'village' of over two dozen furnished old buildings transplanted from…
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0.12 MILES
Lying amid the seemingly miniaturised streets of the former poor quarter is the sparse little cottage where Hans Christian Andersen was born. Visiting it…
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24.64 MILES
This highly thought-provoking 'welfare museum' is housed in Svendborg's old poorhouse, within which paupers lived segregated by sex, as virtual prisoners…
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25.26 MILES
Some 18km long and incorporating a suspension bridge that's arguably as elegant as the Golden Gate, the Storebælt link is a remarkable piece of…
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25.14 MILES
Sejlskibsbroen is a jetty lined with splendidly preserved wooden sailing ships, including some multimasted schooners, all seaworthy and making regular…
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27.89 MILES
Ideal as a boat-trip excursion from Svendborg, this lavish palace is crammed with antique furniture, Venetian glass, 17th-century Gobelin tapestries and…
Nearby Odense attractions
0.03 MILES
For one of Odense's prettiest street scenes, stand at the corner of Adelgade and watch the little cottages tumbling down Paaskestræde towards the…
0.06 MILES
With its seemingly endless, sharpened spire, Sankt Albani Kirke is an 1867 Catholic church whose exterior is interesting for the wooden knight and naive,…
0.09 MILES
In the charming Fyrtøjet, children are encouraged to explore the world of Hans Christian Andersen through music and storytelling.
0.12 MILES
Lying amid the seemingly miniaturised streets of the former poor quarter is the sparse little cottage where Hans Christian Andersen was born. Visiting it…
0.13 MILES
Outside the low-rise Radisson Blu hotel, Hans Christian Andersen sits with top hat on a seat awaiting selfies.
0.15 MILES
The new, stylishly designed main section of this city-history museum takes visitors on a thematic walk through humorously named 'Funen – Centre of the…
0.15 MILES
With a classical face, seal-flipper feet and a triumphalist six-pack tummy, this astonishing female figure reclines naked on Odense's central square. But…
0.16 MILES
With a stepped-brick tower, this church is often cited as Odense's oldest. Though records are hazy, most of the whitewashed interior dates back to the…