Odense City Hall

The Music Department at the University Library of Southern Denmark in Odense has through donations and acquisitions since 1997 achieved the status of research archive of specialised jazz studies. The Danish Jazz Center closed on 1 July 1997. Much of the collection was transferred to the former Odense University Library, including the Center's public collection, the Timme Rosenkrantz Collection, the Ben Webster Collection, the Radio Jazz Collection, and the Erik Lindemann Collection. A smaller part went to the Danish Jazz Association while that part of the collection which belonged to the Head of the Center, Arnvid Meyer, has been purchased by the Danish Royal Library although it has up to now remained in Meyer's possession. The collections at the University Library of Southern Denmark have been enlarged due to purchases and donations, such as the private collections of Svend Asmussen and Richard Boone. The collections are housed in the Music Department and can be used during the Music Department's open hours. They are only for use on the premises and are not for loan. A room with all forms of listening facilities is available. Indexes to the Jazz Center's collections of tape recordings and videos and the Rosenkrantz, Webster, and Lindemann collections accompanied the collections and they can be used on the premises. All the books, sheet music, records, CDs and DVDs are catalogued and can be retrieved in the library's catalogue. Current registration is concentrated on the reel-to-reel tapes in Rosenkrantz's collection.

Odense ( OH-dən-sə, US also OH-thən-sə, Danish: [ˈoðˀn̩sə] (listen)) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2023, the city proper had a population of 182,387 while Odense Municipality had a population of 207,762, making it the fourth largest municipality in Denmark (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus and Aalborg municipalities). Eurostat and OECD have used a definition for the Metropolitan area of Odense (referred to as a Functional urban area), which includes all municipalities in the Province (Danish: landsdel) of Funen (Danish: Fyn), with a total population of 504,066 as of 1 July 2022By road, Odense is located 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Svendborg, 144 kilometres (89 mi) to the south of Aarhus and 167 kilometres (104 mi) to the southwest of Copenhagen. The city was the seat of Odense County until 1970, and Funen County from 1970 until 1 January 2007, when Funen County became part of the Region of Southern Denmark. Odense has close associations with Hans Christian Andersen who is remembered above all for his fairy tales. He was born in the city in 1805 and spent his childhood years there. There has been human settlement in the Odense area for over 4,000 years, although the name was not mentioned in writing until 988, and by 1070, it had already grown into a thriving city. Canute IV of Denmark, generally considered to be the last Viking king, was murdered by unruly peasants in Odense's St Alban's Priory on 10 July 1086. Although the city was burned in 1249 following a royal rivalry, it quickly recovered and flourished as a centre of commerce in the Middle Ages. After a period of decline, large-scale plans for development were made during the 18th century, which led to the rebuilding of Odense Palace and the building of a canal to the Port of Odense, facilitating trade. In 1865, one of the largest railway terminals in Denmark was built, further increasing the population and commerce, and by 1900, Odense had reached a population of 35,000. Odense's Odinstårnet was one of the tallest towers in Europe when built in 1935 but was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. The University of Southern Denmark was established in 1966. In the present day, Odense remains the commercial hub of Funen, and has a notable shopping district with a diversity of stores. Several major industries are located in the city including the Albani Brewery and GASA, Denmark's major dealer in vegetables, fruits and flowers. The city is home to Odense Palace, erected by King Frederik IV who died there in 1730, the Odense Theatre, the Odense Symphony Orchestra, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, situated in the house that was the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. In sports, Odense has a number of football clubs including OB, BM, B1909, and B1913, the Odense Bulldogs professional ice hockey team, and the city also hosts the H.C. Andersen Marathon. Odense is served by Hans Christian Andersen Airport and Odense station, which lies on the line between Copenhagen and the Jutland peninsula.

Odense Municipality (Danish: Odense Kommune) is a Danish municipality (kommune) in Southern Denmark on the island of Funen in central Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 304.34 km2 (118 sq mi), and has a population of 207,762 (1. January 2023). It is the most populous municipality in Region of Southern Denmark. The main town and the site of its municipal council is the city of Odense. Including the social sector, 17,000 people are employed by the municipality. The municipal budget is 6,881 million DKK as of 2006. The municipality runs 37 schools; Odense is also the home of 13 private schools. Neighboring municipalities are Kerteminde to the east, Faaborg-Midtfyn to the south, Assens to the west, and Nordfyn to the north.

St. Canute's Cathedral (Danish: Odense Domkirke or Sankt Knuds Kirke), also known as Odense Cathedral, is named after the Danish king Canute the Saint (Danish: Knud den Hellige), otherwise Canute IV. It is a fine example of Brick Gothic architecture. The church's most visited section is the crypt where the remains of Canute and his brother Benedict are on display.

St. Canute's Abbey, Odense (Danish: Skt Knuds Kloster), a Benedictine monastery, was built to support the pilgrimage centre for the relics of the royal Danish martyr Saint Canute (died 1086), and was the successor to the priory of St. Mary and St. Alban, Denmark's earliest monastic house. Located in Odense, it was the island of Funen's most important medieval religious institution.

St. Alban's Church (Danish: Sankt Albani Kirke) is the Roman Catholic parish church of Odense, Denmark. It should not be confused with the medieval church of St. Alban's Priory where King Canute IV was murdered in 1086, and which was later replaced with St. Canute's Cathedral. The medieval St. Alban's Priory was located at Albani Torv (St. Alban's Square) roughly halfway between St. Canute's Cathedral and St. Alban's Church. A modern stone plaque located at the site of the former church's altar is the only visible sign of this structure.

Saint Hans Church (Danish: Sankt Hans Kirke) is a church in Odense, Denmark. First mentioned in 1295, it was built by the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Order of Saint John. Not much of the original building remains as it was rebuilt in 1636 and subsequently restored on two occasions. Built of red brick with horizontal decorations on the chancel wall, it has large Gothic windows. The date of 1496 on one of the bells in the step-ribbed tower may well be the year the church was completed. The tower is adjacent to Odense Palace which was originally built as a monastery.The church has a three manual Marcussen organ used by Kevin Bowyer to record the complete organ works of Bach for Nimbus Records.

Funen's Art Museum (Danish: Fyns Kunstmuseum), formerly The Museum of Funen's Abbey and Museum Civitatis Othiniensis, founded in 1885, is an art museum in Odense, Denmark. Funen's Art Museum operated as a part of the Odense City Museums (Odense Bys Museer).

Odense Palace (Danish: Odense Slot) in the city of Odense on the Danish island of Funen has its origins in a 15th-century monastery which passed to the Crown after the Reformation, and since then has served as an administrative building: in turn as a seigneurial residence, an amt administrator's residence, a governor's residence, and a municipal government building. The main white Baroque building with 13 bays was designed by J.C. Krieger and completed in 1723.

Nonnebakken (literally, "The Nun Hill") is a hill in Odense, Denmark. It is the site of one of Denmark's six former Viking ring castles, built during the reign of Sweyn Forkbeard, who had forced his father Harold Bluetooth to leave the country and seek refuge with the Jomsvikings on Wollin (modern Poland) around 975. The fort enabled its occupier to control the Odense River passing next to the hill. The name refers to a Benedictine nunnery located here in earlier times. At the end of the 12th century, the nuns left the site to build a new church in Dalum to the southeast, now a suburb of Odense. The earthwork ramparts can be recognized in the "panorama of Odense" in the medieval tome Civitates Orbis Terrarum from Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. The panorama appears as plate 30 in Volume 5, finished in 1598. Plate 30 was engraved in 1593, based on information from Heinrich Rantzau or from sketches he gave in order. It also appears on the panorama of Odense published by Braunius in 1593. The archaeological remains of Nonnebakken took heavy damage during the late 19th century, when a building for the Odd Fellow lodge was constructed on the site. In the 20th century, scientific excavations led by Fyns Stiftsmuseum revealed that the circular castle had an inner diameter of 120 m and was built in the years 980-1000, similar to the other Viking ring castles.

Odense County (Danish: Odense Amt) is a former province in Denmark, located on the northern half of the island of Funen in central Denmark. Odense County was established in 1806 and abolished in 1970 when it merged with Svendborg County forming the new Funen County. In 1662, the north Funen area was organized as a total of four counties: Odensegård, Rugård, Assens, and Hindsgavl. The four counties merged in 1806 forming Odense County, also including the Hindsholm peninsula from the former Nyborg County. This situation lasted from 1806 to 1970 when Odense and Svendborg merged to form Funen County. Odense County featured the market towns (købstæder) of Assens, Bogense, Kerteminde, Middelfart, and Odense. In spiritual matters, the county belonged to the Diocese of Funen.

Odense Teater is a theater in the city of Odense in Denmark. It dates back to 1796, which makes it Denmark's second oldest theater. It is one of the country's three main theaters. The venue is located in Jernbanegade, where it has three stages: Store Scene, Værkstedet, and Foyerscenen. It also has stages at Farinen and Raffinaderiet in the old sugar factory of Odense, where there is also a drama school.