Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense to Open June 2021

A new museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen will open in Odense, Denmark, in June 2021. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma with Danish firms Cornelius+Vöge and MASU Planning, the museum spans 5,600 square meters, with two-thirds underground to minimize land use and create a large urban park. The structure features cylindrical glass facades protected by wooden lattices, concave roofs with hanging gardens, and interior wooden columns evoking a forest. It includes Tinderbox, an interactive children's area for events and workshops. Located near Andersen's childhood home, the site underwent urban renewal, including the pedestrianization of Thomas B. Thriges Gade, creating a 9,000-square-meter car-free zone. The project was selected in April 2016 by Odense's then-mayor Anker Boye, who stated that Kuma's proposal captures the spirit of Andersen and the city. The museum aims to revive Andersen's legacy, whose fairy tales like "The Little Mermaid" and "The Ugly Duckling" are often sanitized in adaptations, obscuring their original psychological depth and dark humor.