The Hans Christian Andersen Museum or H.C. Andersens Odense, is a set of museums/buildings dedicated to the famous author Hans Christian Andersen in Odense, Denmark, some of which, at various times in history, have functioned as the main Odense-based museum on the author.
They variously comprise the H.C. Andersen Museum (existing museum), the H.C. Andersen Birthplace (original museum), the H.C. Andersen Childhood Home, and even Møntergården (city museum). A new installation called House of Fairytales (called New H.C. Andersen Museum) is planned to open in late 2020.[1]
The birthplace (Danish: H.C. Andersen's Hus) is located in the building which is thought his birthplace (not conclusively confirmed), a small yellow house on the corner of 45 Hans Jensens Stræde and Bangs Boder street in the old town.[2] In 1908, the house was reopened as the H.C. Andersen Museum. It documents his life from his childhood years as the son of a shoemaker to his schooling, career as an author, and later life, with artifacts providing an insight into his acquaintances and adventures.[2] The birthplace is also known as H.C. Andersen's House, after the plaque at the front door Danish: H.C. Andersen's Hus.
H.C. Andersen's Childhood Home
Andersen's childhood home (Danish: H.C. Andersens Barndomshjem) is at 3-5 Munkemøllestræde, not far from the cathedral. He lived in the little half-timbered house from the age of two until he was 14. Opened as a museum in 1930, the house contains an exhibition of the cobbling tools used by his father and other items based on Andersen's own descriptions.[3]
H.C. Andersen Museum
The museum is located at 11 Claus Bergs Gade, and comprises exhibits and collections from Andersen's works and life.[4][5]
In 2016, it was announced that Japanese architect, Kengo Kuma, and museum design consultancy, Event Communications, had won an international competition to design a new House of Fairytales concept for the Hans Christian Andersen Museum (also called the New Hans Christian Andersen Museum).[6][7] Kuma's designs revolve around "a series of cylindrical volumes with glass and latticed timber facades, and scooped green roofs".[8] Event Communications said that the museum would follow an "immersive theatre" that "taps into a fundamental aspect of fairytales – they are journeys where the line between the everyday and the transformative is blurred".[1][9] The project is being managed by Odense City Museums and plans are for it to open in late 2020.[1]
Gallery
Birthplace and original museum (45 Hans Jensens Stræde)
^"H.C. Andersen's Childhood Home". Visit Odense. Retrieved 8 October 2019. The little house where H.C. Andersen lived with his parents from the age of 2 to 14, was opened as a museum in 1930.
^"Stroll Through a Fairytale Forest". Event Communications. Retrieved 6 October 2019. The existing Hans Christian Andersen Museum opened in 1908 and is located in Hans Christian Andersen's childhood home in Odense. As part of a Denmark-wide initiative to expand the country's cultural tourism offer, the City of Odense has embarked on an ambitious project to transform the museum into a flagship tourist attraction, harnessing the worldwide appeal of Andersen's stories.
