Happily Ever After In Denmark

Vacations & Travel - Autumn 2005

The spirit of Hans Christian Andersen is everywhere in Denmark. Travelling around the countryside, there’s a zillion castles and manor houses he visited during his prolific writing career. In Odense, where he was born, you’ll see where he went to school, where his mother worked as a washerwoman, where he got his first taste of the theatre. At Kronborg, the castle Shakespeare chose as the setting for “Hamlet”, legendary hero Holger the Dane sits slumbering in the casements. Immortalized in one of Andersen’s tales, he is said to watch over Denmark, ready to come to her aid should the need arise.

And then there is Copenhagen, the capital city which educated and inspired Andersen and provided the backdrop for many of the formative events in his life. Were he alive today, he would have no problem finding his way around the city centre. Thanks to the preservation of much of its historic heart, many of the buildings familiar to Andersen are still there. Many of the houses he lived in remain, some with plaques noting their connection to the great storyteller. The Royal Theatre he loved is still home to Denmark’s leading opera, theatre and ballet companies and many of the cafes he visited are still serving coffee.

Andersen travelled extensively both at home and abroad, the long list of countries he visited quite remarkable for the time. (“To travel is to live,” he is quoted as having said.) Though he is known mostly for his 156 fairytales, he wrote novels, poems, plays, autobiographical works and travelogues, many of them inspired by the places he visited. Wherever you go in Denmark, chances are you will be walking in Andersen’s footsteps, but this year there is even more reason for Hans Christian Andersen fever when the world celebrates the 200th anniversary of his birth. Events to mark the anniversary are focusing on three main areas - the arts and culture, education and tourism.

Christian Have, of Have PR, publicists for the Hans Christian Andersen Foundation, says at least 3000 projects are planned worldwide, such is the writer’s appeal. Andersen’s work has been translated into a staggering 130 languages. Not only is he incredibly popular in China, but he is also reputedly the best-selling author in Vietnam. Of course, nowhere will the celebrations be as grand as in Denmark, where there will be a full eight months of performances, exhibitions and other events, kicking off with a show in Copenhagen on April 2, the anniversary of Andersen’s birth. Called “Once Upon A Time”, it is being billed as the most spectacular fairytale ever.

Copenhagen still has the narrow streets and cobbled squares that greeted Andersen when he arrived from Odense at the age of 14, keen to make a career in theatre and ballet. Having little success on that score, he turned to writing instead and with the help of some generous benefactors managed to achieve fame in his own lifetime. He referred to the date of his arrival in Copenhagen as his “second birthday”. History graduate Christian Donatzky, who operates Copenhagen History Tours, offers a fascinating insight into the city’s history from Andersen’s time through to the present day.

His walking tour begins at Hojbro Plads, where at number 21, Andersen was a regular “Thursday supper guest”. It was customary for Andersen to dine with certain families each night, and at this one, he loved to stand on the small balcony from which he had a fine view of Christiansborg Palace. Donatzky walks visitors through the Christiansborg grounds and around Thorvaldsen’s Museum, which houses a collection bequeathed by sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. A frieze around the building shows the grand reception given to Thorvaldsen when he returned from Rome in 1838. Hans Christian Andersen is there, waving his famous top hat.

From here, the walk passes the Cathedral of Our Lady, where Andersen’s funeral was held in 1875, and where Australian Mary Donaldson married Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik in May last year. Smaller and less imposing than it appeared on the television coverage of the event, the church is nevertheless quite beautiful. The interior is decorated with works by Thorvaldsen, including figures of the Twelve Apostles and a sculpture of Jesus with his arms outstretched, said to be the first to portray Jesus in this way rather than in an image of suffering. The tour ends at a statue of Hans Christian Andersen overlooking Tivoli, the city’s beloved amusement park which has been entertaining people since 1843.

Nowhere do Andersen’s stories look more at home than in this fairytale setting, where they continue to be performed to this day. Andersen was a friend of Tivoli’s founder, Georg Carstensen, and he visited the park numerous times. So inspired was he by one of the attractions, the Chinese Bazaar, that he wrote "The Nightingale" in just two days. One of the rides at Tivoli, The Flying Trunk, is dedicated to Andersen and depicts 32 scenes from his fairytales. To celebrate Andersen’s anniversary, Tivoli is hosting a festival every night except Friday, from May to September this year, with an extravaganza of puppets, each representing a fairytale, light, music, pyrotechnics and special effects.

Opposite Tivoli, the Wonderful World of Hans Christian Andersen has a whiff of being a tourist trap, sharing premises with Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum. In fact it is a beautifully presented collection of dioramas with surprising attention to detail. In one scene, Andersen recalls how he was regarded as an ugly child and teased with having “a nose like a trumpet and eyes resembling green peas”. Big and little kids alike will love the way his fairytales, from The Emperor’s New Clothes to Thumbelina and The Little Mermaid, have been brought to life. The museum contains some of Andersen’s original manuscripts and personal effects, including a book titled “Visions For The Future” in which, amazingly, he wrote about flying machines and a tunnel under the English Channel.

A stroll along Strøget, which claims to be the world’s longest pedestrian shopping street, brings you to Le Glace, which has published a gorgeous book of cake recipes interspersed with Andersen’s fairytales. Although there is no evidence that Andersen visited the coffee shop, it was in existence at the time and still looks much the same. The city still has quite a few shops from Andersen’s time, some with their original interiors. A detour off Strøget brings you to the 17th century Round Tower, Europe’s oldest functioning astronomical observatory. Andersen spent many hours in the university library at the top of the tower, and in “The Tinderbox”, wrote about one of the dogs as having “eyes as big as the Round Tower”.

On the western end of Strøget, at Vingard 6, the attic room where Andersen lived for a time is open to the public. Virtually unchanged since then, it now belongs to Magasin, a department store in the former Hotel du Nord. Andersen was a frequent guest at the Café a Porta which still exists next door. Andersen spent most of his life at three different houses on the nearby canal of Nyhavn. Today, the picturesque harbour is bustling with open-air cafes, restaurants and bars, and no doubt it was pretty lively during his time too. He wrote his first fairytales while living at number 20, spent nearly two decades on and off with the Anholm family at number 67, and ended his days at number 18.

Nyhavn is the departure point for the DFDS canal tours, whose vessels are all named after Andersen fairytales. The tours are a relaxing way of seeing many points of interest, including the Little Mermaid statue, Christianshavn and the much-talked-about new Opera House, where the Australian Ballet will perform “Wild Swans” in October, one of the highlights of the anniversary celebrations. Not surprisingly, Australia is the word on everyone’s lips, thanks to our Mary. The finale of the anniversary celebrations will take place in Odense on December 6, the date on which Andersen was given a hero’s reception and awarded the freedom of the city 62 years after his departure.

Now linked by bridge, Odense is a one and a half hour train trip from Copenhagen, but it was a world away when Andersen left. A charming town with cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses, it’s a great place for wandering. Visitors can see the house where Andersen was born, now a wonderful museum; statues of characters from his fairytales; Barndomshjem, the tiny house where he lived for 12 years from the age of two; and St Knud’s Church, where he was confirmed and which has a magnificent altar. Artists, politicians, athletes and business people from around the world have been appointed as ambassadors for the anniversary celebrations. Cathy Freeman will represent Australia, her appointment made by Prince Frederik, no doubt with a little help from Mary.

The official carrier for the celebrations, Scandinavian Airlines, has joined forces with hotel group Rezidor SAS to support the Hans Christian Andersen Foundation in a project aimed at fighting illiteracy throughout the world. The HCA-abc foundation is intended to be a lasting legacy of the celebrations, in Andersen’s memory. “Hans Christian Andersen had reading difficulties as a child,” said Christian Have. “His mother was illiterate and he left her in shame. He proved that despite this … you can become a storyteller.” The publicist knows he is onto a winner. “It’s a good story about this tiny little country doing the biggest cultural event the world has seen.”

FACT FILE

Getting there:
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is a natural choice to Scandinavia and Northern Europe with the fastest daily connection via Bangkok, Singapore or Tokyo direct to Copenhagen in as little as 22 hours. It flies three times a week from Sydney and Melbourne to Shanghai, and six times a week between Shanghai and Copenhagen.
Inquiries: 1300 727 707 or www.scandinavian.net
Bentours can organise package tours to Denmark, or arrange independent travel. Its Scandinavia & Russia 2005 brochure lists transport and accommodation options, escorted and non-escorted tours, and cruises. This year it is offering a five-day tour of Copenhagen and Odense to join the Hans Christian Andersen celebrations.
Inquiries: (02) 9241 1353 or www.bentours.com.au

Getting around:
Rental cars are very expensive. The best way of getting around Copenhagen is with a 24-hour (29 euros) or 72-hour (57 euros) Copenhagen Card which provides entry to 60 museums and attractions, as well as free transport by train, bus and metro. Details: www.visitcopenhagen.dk
Copenhagen History Tours offers walking tours of the city: www.copenhagenhistorytours.dk

Where to stay:
Radisson SAS has two excellent hotels, the very centrally located Royal, and the Scandinavia, a short distance from the city centre but with pleasant views over the city. Inquiries: 1800 333 333 or www.radissonsas.com

Where to eat:
Tivoli has almost 30 places to eat, including Divan 2 which has operated since 1843. (ph 33 12 51 51)
Nytorv Restaurant & Café has a cosy Danish ambience with decent food at affordable prices. (ph 33 11 77 06)
Dining out is very expensive by Australian standards. A good option is to buy food to take away from a department store such as Magasin.

Tips:
Unlike most of Europe, Denmark has not adopted the Euro though many businesses will accept it.
Many museums are free on Wednesdays, and the excellent Glyptotek museum of arts and antiquities is also free on Sundays.

Travel information: www.visitdenmark.com

Calendar of events for the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 celebrations: www.hca2005.com

© Christine Salins

Back to list of travel stories