Odense C: Experience culture and history

If you’re looking for a hotel in Odense C, it can help to first decide what kind of stay you’re after. Odense offers different ways to explore history and culture: archaeological finds, historic buildings, literature and hands-on exhibitions. There are also walks, audio walks and experiences on the water.

The Viking Age, city history and literature

The Viking ring fortress of Nonnebakken is one of five Danish ring fortresses recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Nonnebakken exhibition at TID – Museum for Odense displays the most significant finds from the fortress. The exhibition is in TID’s main building and is accessible by lift. Alongside its World Heritage status, the exhibition focuses on the finds themselves.

The “Life in the city” exhibition offers another historical perspective. It is housed in Møntergården, a historic red building dating from the 17th century. There are also medieval buildings in several parts of central Odense. Together, these two time periods offer a comparison of different eras: from medieval architecture to a 17th-century building that now houses an exhibition.

Literary history also has a place of its own: the museum experience at H.C. Andersens Hus includes the small yellow house on Hans Jensens Stræde. H.C. Andersen was born there in 1805. The house connects a literary biography with a specific building and a precisely dated historical event.

At Jernalderlandsbyen Odins Odense, visitors can explore reconstructed houses and experience what life was like in Denmark during the Iron Age, 2,000 years ago. This is different from an exhibition of finds: the focus here is on reconstructed houses and insights into an earlier way of life. Those interested in the past can consider archaeological artefacts and reconstructed homes as different ways of bringing history to life.

Hands-on exhibitions and historical ways of life

TID’s children’s museum is designed as an interactive exhibition for visitors of all ages. You can play, touch and experiment there. The food room explores what a boy in the Stone Age needed to do to get food and what he ate. The exhibition brings a broad historical topic to life through specific questions: food gathering and diet are viewed from the perspective of a child of that time.

The Funen Village offers a brief introduction to an 18th-century rural community and its sustainable, circular way of life. On selected days during the season, you can meet volunteers there who bring history to life. The introduction to the way of life and the chance to meet the volunteers offer two different ways to engage with your visit. As the meetings take place only on selected days during the season, check the calendar for dates if you’re interested.

Walks, cycling routes and experiences on the water

Odense offers scenic walks, running routes, themed tours and digital audio walks through green oases and city districts. Routes and digital content may change, so check which tours and audio walks are currently available before making plans. This will help you decide whether you’d prefer to explore the city on foot, while running or with a themed guide.

Odense has more than 560 kilometres of cycle paths; the total length may change as the network expands. The Odense Å river flows through the city centre and offers opportunities to experience the city from the water. Cycle paths and water-based experiences therefore offer different ways to explore the city than its exhibitions and historic buildings.

The character of the centre can also help you find your way around: most places in Odense are within walking distance; the city centre is car-free and green, with cafés, museums and shops. Which of these appeals to you most—historical exhibitions, active exploration or a walk through the centre—can help shape your stay.

Discover more destinations: Højby, Odense Sv, Fraugde, Fraugde-Kærby

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