Funen is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand, where Copenhagen is located,and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is in the central part of the country and has a population of 466,284 (2013). The main city is Odennse which is connected to the sea by a seldom-used canal. Funen is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, the composer Carl Nielsen and American Revolutionary War hero Colonel Christian Febiger.
Funen is linked to Zealand, Denmark's largest island, by the Great Belt Bridge which carries both trains and cars. The bridge is in reality three bridges; low road and rail bridges connect Funen to the small island of Sprogo in the middle of the Great Belt, and a long road suspension bridge (the second longest in the world at the time of opening) connects Funen the rest of the way to Zealand, paralleled by a rail tunnel. Two bridges connect Funen to the Danish mainland, Jutland. The Old Little Belt Bridge was constructed in the 1930s shortly before World War II for both cars and trains. The New Little Belt Bridge, a suspension bridge, was constructed in the 1970s and is used for cars only. Apart from the main city, Odense, all major towns are located in coastal areas. Beginning in the north-east of the island and moving clockwise, they are Kerteminde (NE), Nyborg (E), Svendborg (S), Faborg (SW), Assens (W), Middelfart (NW) and Bogense (N).
Hans Christian Andersen House
I passed through Funen on my way to LEGOLAND in Jutland and made a
stop in Odense. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark. Odense refers to
the god Oden of Denmark's Norse mythology and is one of the oldest cities of
Denmark and had its 1000th anniversary in 1988. To celebrate this, a forest
named "the Thousand Year Forest" was cultivated. Odense's most famous
landmark was Odinstarnet (The Odin Tower) constructed in 1935, as the
second-tallest tower in Europe, only surpassed by the Eiffel Tower with its 177
meters. Odinstårnet was blown up by a Danish Nazi group in 1944 and has
never been rebuilt. However, a miniature model of it now stands in the
residential area Odinsparken in the area where the original tower was. Until
the beginning of the Danish industrial revolution, Odense was also the
second-largest city in modern Denmark, but has in recent times been overtaken
by Aarhus. We stopped at Hans Christian Andersen’s house and toured the house
and surrounding area. The area is very beautiful and it was easy to see how he
came up with the ideas for his stories. Also, there is an outdoor stage by the
house that had live performances of many of his stories. You can sit on the
lawn and watch the plays. If you find yourself in Odense I would definitely
make it a point to stop and tour the area.
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