Surroundings, Odense

There is an interesting modern church to be seen in Munkebjerg, to the southeast of Odense. Munkebjerg Church in Østerbæksvej was the result of an architectural competition in 1942. The winning design was for an unusual polygon structure, but local resistance prevented construction of the church until 1962, when another team of architects took over and produced a building similar to the original plan, the unconventional style having in the meantime become generally accepted. The church is hexagonal, with the air of a huge tent, and has a free-standing tower.It was designed by Knud Lollesgaard, a renowned artist.

Attractions to the southwest of Odense include the Tivoli Amusement Park and the Zoological Garden (opening times given), both situated on Sdr. Boulevard.Visitors may bring packed lunches or book outdoor picnics at the Zoo.

Four km/2.5 mi south of the town center of Odense lies the Open-Air Museum in Hunderup Skov. This is "Den Fynske Landsby" (The Funen Village), with reconstructed farms and houses from the island of Funen, together with a water-mill, a brick-works, a school, a smithy and other workshops. Agriculture is practised using old methods. The oldest building in the village is a barn of 1666, right next to the entrance; Nearby can be found a "Kro" (Krug=jug, or inn). During the summer there are often opportunities, on request, to practice weaving or making pottery, etc. Andersen's fairytales are performed in the open-air theater.

The town of Dalum, to the west of the Funen Village, is worth seeing. Its church was once part of a Benedictine monastery which was moved here from Odense about 1600; note the interesting frescoes.

On the island of Funen, from Dalum Volderslevvej leads south to Carl Nielsens Barndomshejm (Childhood Home), now a museum. It was here that the Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) spent a part of his childhood and youth. Nielsen, who from 1908 to 1914 held the post of director of music at the court in Copenhagen, composed several operas, including "Saul and David" (1902) and "Masquerade" (1905), as well as symphonies, string quartets and works for piano and organ.

A visit to the Hollufgård Museum and Arts Center on the southeastern edge of Odense will be rewarding. The center of the complex is a stately home of 1577 which has been restored. There are sculptors' workshops (where visitors can try their hand), a Museum of Pre- and Early History of Funen ("Fyns Oldtid") and the lecture rooms of the Odense Municipal Museums. Members of the research center devote themselves to the theme "Man and Nature". There are also sporting facilities available, and the Odense Golf Club has its club-rooms here.

For those interested in cars a visit to the European Automobile Museum 7 km/4.5mi east of Odense is strongly recommended. There are some 100 cars on show which provide a picture of driving in the 1950s, together with a wide range of tools, manuals and brochures connected with the purchase or technical development of motor cars.The museum display includes motorbikes, toy cars, information about cars in the form of pamphlets and brochurs and a collection of over a hundred automobiles. Visitors are welcome to enjoy their own home-made lunch at the museum or alternatively, buy a meal at the museum.

East of Odense lies the town of Fraugde, with a half-timbered 16th C. manor house. In the late 17th C. it belonged to Denmark's most celebrated ecclesiastical poet, Thomas Kingo, who later became a bishop. Inside can be seen a cricifix by Claus Berg.The interior of the church is decorated in the Renaissance Style.

Situation and TopographyFunen, Fyn in Danish, the second largest island of Denmark, lies between Jutland and Zealand. Its west coast is washed by the Little Belt, the east coast by the Great Belt. The area is generally flat; only in the southwest is there a wooded moraine ridge known as the "Funen Alps". The fertile marl soil yields an abundance of agricultural produce, which has led to the island's being called the "Garden of Denmark".Funen can be reached from Jutland by one of the two bridges spanning the Little Belt. The older of the two (1935), to the south, is a reinforced concrete structure 1,178m/1,300yd long with a clear height above the water of 33m/108ft. The newer bridge (1970), to the north within sight of the older one, is Denmark's first suspension bridge; it is 1,080m/1,200yd long, with a span of 600m/650yds and a clear height of 42m/138ft.Towns to visitThe cultural center of Funen is Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. The coastal towns of Middelfart, Nyborg, Fåborg and Svendborg are also worth seeing.