Kengo Kuma - a Japanese architect with a passion for Andersen's fairy tales always cherished the dream of realizing the magical world of childhood. After many years of hard work, he finally realized his dream: building the Hans Christians Andersen Museum.
Located in Andersen's hometown of Odense, the museum covers an area of 5,000 m2is a place to recreate the life of the famous writer as well as the way he told magical stories. Two-thirds of the museum is underground, above is a garden built like in fairy tales.
Fairy garden above the exhibition.
Along with Kengo Kuma, more than 12 international artists participated in the interior design of the fairy tale museum. Danish author Kum Fupz Aakeson and his American colleague Daniel Handler created unique sounds for the museum; composer Louise Alenius sought to use music to convey the stories of The Nightingale, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, and The Little Mermaid.
Artists create ways to convey stories through sounds.
Installation artist Veronica Hodges created a paper sculpture inspired by the swallow in Little Girl. Brazilian artist Henrique Oliveira collaborated with director Timothy David Orme to create a staircase shaped like a giant tree, opening the way for visitors to enter Andersen's fairy tale world.
The stairs are shaped like giant tree trunks in ancient forests.
The museum has a dedicated children's area, including a sculpture workshop called “Ville Vau”, where children can create fairytale works under the guidance of experts.
Andersen - the painter of childhood for children
Hans Christian Andersen (April 2, 1805 – August 4, 1875) was a Danish writer of fairy tales for children. He wrote about 160 stories, published in 8 volumes from 1835 to 1848, and translated into 120 languages.
Hans Christian Anderson.
Some typical works include The Little Match Girl, The Pea Princess, The Brave Tin Soldier,...
Many of his stories have been adapted into plays, musicals, and even animated films such as The Little Mermaid. Andersen's fairy tales have become part of world literature today.
Besides fairy tales, Andersen also wrote poems, plays, novels, and narrated art performances... however these works were not very famous.
One reason Andersen’s stories were so widely circulated was because the house traveled to so many places. In particular, the country he spent the most time visiting was Germany. He was famous in Germany before he was honored in his native Denmark. By the time Andersen died, his fame had reached international levels. Shortly after his death, the house where he was born became a popular destination for those who loved his stories.
A corner of Anderson's hometown.
