A modern workplace

Today Odense Castle is a modern workplace housing several hundred employees working in the Department of Culture, Sport, and Urban Development in the City of Odense.

The employees have a wide set of responsibilities; from local planning, supporting clubs and cultural activities to maintaining the streets of our city. Biologists, architects, cleaning personnel and consultants work together to ensure the best opportunities for a good life for all who lives in Odense. 

It is difficult to imagine how the same building once housed the solemn lives of the Knights of the Order of Saint John and the extravagant parties of kings and queens. Young noble ladies were beheaded, and ill-fated declarations of war were signed at Odense Castle.

Odense Castle has evolved over the past centuries, and we want to cherish and uphold its long and exciting history. Therefore, when the castle undergoes renovations, it is always done with respect for its history.

This page offers a brief introduction to the castle’s long history.

The 15th century - A new monastery in Odense

At the end of the 13th century, the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John came to Odense from Germany. The city already accommodated the Order of Saint Benedict, the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the Dominican Order. Despite this, The Order of Saint John prospered.

In relation to the existing parish church, Saint Michael’s, a monastery was built in the 15th century. The building had three wings which opened north. The eastern gate made up the entrance to the monastery. With only one floor, the layout of the monastery was very different from its contemporaries. North of the church, a hospital building was constructed. In 1541, it was converted into a vicarage.

The monastery briefly housed the printer Johan Snell of Lübeck. It is likely that during this period in 1482, he printed the two very first books in Denmark: The famous ‘Odense Breviar’ (a prayer book) and an account of the Turkish siege of Rhodes.

The 16th century - Civil war and Reformation

In the 1530s the great civil war, known as ‘The Count’s Feud’, raged across the country. The citizens of Odense conquered and destroyed the castle of Næsbyhoved outside of the city and left the city without a castle. Today, only the ramparts remain.

After the civil war came the Reformation where Protestantism was introduced in Denmark. The crown took charge of the monastery, giving the monks permission to stay until their deaths.

In 1573 King Frederick II ordered a remodeling of the monastery. The now former monastery of The Knights of Saint John thereby became housing for the King and his entourage during their visits to Odense. 

The south and east wing were raised from one to two stories, a new west wing was added, and contemporary illustrations also show two grand staircases. The layout of the older wings was completely altered. None of the monk cells were preserved.

The monastery was now called Odensegård (‘Odense Court’).

17th century - Kings and Lord Lieutenants

After the Reformation, alternating Lord Lieutenants took residence in Odensegård. The Lord Lieutenant was the highest official on Funen and was charged with keeping Odensegård ready for whenever the king might visit on important business.

One of those occasions was the trial of the young noblewoman, Sibylle Gjøe. In 1635 King Christian IV condemned her to death for killing her illegitimate child. The king watched from his window as the beautiful young woman was beheaded in the courtyard.

Odensegård was also the scene of the signing of King Frederick III’s declaration of war against Sweden on June 1st, 1657. The war turned out to be a costly wager; Denmark lost Scania, Halland and Blekinge and the cost of war impoverished Funen and put a final halt to Odense’s hundred-year long prosperity.

In 1660 absolute monarchy was introduced in Denmark. All power was now seated in Copenhagen and the royal visits to Odense became less frequent. Odensegård and the King’s chambers were occasionally used for storing grain.

18th century - Odense gets its castle

Towards the end of his regency, King Frederick IV’s wished to enjoy the same comfort in his provincial castle as he did in his residencies in Copenhagen. On September 20th 1720 a contract was signed for alterations to be made to ‘Odensegård’.

Royal gardener of Rosenborg Castle, J. C Krieger, received the commission. From his studies in Holland and England, he had become intimate with the style of Dutch Baroque.

In 1723 the construction was done and ‘Odensegård’ became Odense Castle. A new north wing housed the royal chambers on the top floor, the King’s towards west and the Queen’s towards east. Between them lay the shared dining room and adjoining audience chambers. The bottom floor was modelled correspondingly for the Crown Prince’s family, with exception of the central room 'The Rose’, which was intended for the lords and ladies in waiting of the court.

The new main wing was constructed with salvaged materials from Nyborg Castle which had suffered severe damage during the war against Sweden.

During the construction of the castle, the two gardeners Christian Helt and Krieger established the castle gardens in the classic French style.

By the time the entire complex had been finished, the King had fallen ill. Despite his declining health, the King wished to see the finished castle and traveled to Odense from Copenhagen. He arrived, admired his work, and died one early October morning, sitting in a chair in the new sleeping chambers.

The Enterprising Buchwald

As far back as the reign of Frederik IV, apartments had been reserved at the castle for The Chief Administrative Officer of the Funen Diocese.

The Prefects Chr. Sehested and Carl Juel resided at the castle from 1721 to 1767. The latter felt obliged, however,
‘To leave the castle on account of the high humidity’.

But the person we know most about is the highly enterprising Friederich Buchwald, who lived at the castle from 1789 to 1798. He was also the one to take the initiative to build Odense harbor and Odense canal.

Buchwald sat up wooden partitions in the King's and Queen's sleeping chambers. In the process, the fine stucco ceilings were taken down.

Either with or without permission, Buchwald carried out several alterations including removal of one of the two symmetrical staircases in the imposing Baroque style main entrance. It was also Buchwald who had the leaded panes replaced by the present-day windows.

The 19th century - The Prince moves to Odense

In 1809, Frederik IV's brother-in-law, Prince Christian of Hessen-Kassel, was given the post of Commander of Funen. His stay was destined to be short-lived. He died at the castle in 1814, an insane and broken man.

Prior to this, the castle had served for short periods as a residence for princely persons: in 1807 for the mentally deranged Christian VII during his flight from Copenhagen to Rendsborg, and a year later for the prince of Ponto Corvo (Marshall Bernadotte), whom the Emperor Napoleon had placed at the head of the Franco-Spanish auxiliary troops, which were to carry out an invasion of Scania with the Danish army. Bernadotte was later elected as King of Sweden (Karl XIV Johan).

The renovation of 1841 left the ceilings intact, but the doors and panels were changed to the neo-classicist style.

In 18I5, Prince Christian Frederik (Christian VIII) was appointed Governor of the Funen Diocese. For a brief period, Prince Christian had been ruler of Norway, but when Denmark lost Norway another position had to be found for him.

The national bankruptcy had just taken place in 1813, and money was scarce. Even so, enough furniture was purchased for a royal staff of more than one hundred.

On the ground floor facing west, an apartment was fitted out for the Prince's seven-year-old son, Prince Frederik (later Frederik VII). Marks on one of the door frames - visible to this day - recorded the growth of the young prince.

In 1839, Prince Christian became king, and his son succeeded him as Governor of Funen.

The King's and Queen's dining room is today used for meetings. 

A great feast was held at the castle in 1841. Prince Frederik had just married the German Princess Mariane von Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Once again, the castle was to undergo large-scale renovation. The court builder, Jorgen Hansen Koch, led the project. The ceilings were preserved, but the doors and panels were altered in neo-classicist style.

At the same time as these alterations were going on, a new building was added to the south, and the gatehouse that led onto Nørregade and the former stables facing Vindegade, were purchased.

The marriage to Princess Mariane was short. The Prince was in love with the former dancer Louise Rasmussen.

In 1841, Prince Frederik married the German Princess Mariane. But the Prince was still in love with Louise Rasmussen, who was later installed at the castle. Via a secret staircase the Prince was able to visit her small boudoir.

In 1848, Prince Frederik ascended to the throne and became Frederik VII. In the following year, he voluntarily renounced his absolute powers by signing the June constitution, the first free constitution in Denmark.

Now the castle became the property of the State and the permanent residence of the Prefect.

In 1850, Frederik VII forced through assent to his marriage to his mistress Louise Rasmussen. The marriage met great disapproval as Louise was the daughter of an unmarried servant girl.

In 1860, the newly established ‘Nordic Museum’ (‘The Funen Diocesan Museum’) was housed in the present-day meeting room and an adjoining room in the castle. In 1885, the museum (now ‘Funen Art Museum’) moved to its present-day location in Jernbanegade.

From 1920 to 1987, the fire service had its address at Odense Castle.

The 20th century - The castle becomes municipal

In 1907, the castle was purchased by the Municipality of Odense but with the proviso from the State that The Prefect retained a non-terminable lease.

The Prefect had both offices and a private apartment at the castle. In 1965, however, Prefect Jakob Høirup moved from his 900 sqm apartment. He was to be the last castle resident.

In 1920, The Odense Fire Service moved into some of the castle buildings. A new fire station outside the city center was officially opened in 1975 but it was not until 1987 that the fire service finally vacated the castle.

The castle is now fully occupied by Odense City’s Department of Culture, Sport and Urban Development and The Department of Climate and Environment.