VisitOdense

A Viking story beneath your feet

Beneath the city streets lie traces of a history older than the Odense we know today. A story about the people who lived their lives here before us. About trade and everyday life. About a town that grew up around Odin’s Vi and gradually became the Odense we know today.

Viking med arme over kors
Photo: Rico Feldfoss© VisitOdense

Explore Viking Age Odense

The city's deep roots stretch back more than 1,000 years and are woven into some of the most important stories of Denmark’s Viking Age, linked to three key figures: Odin, Harald and Canute. Each left a lasting mark on the city, alongside the thousands of people whose everyday lives helped shape Odense through the centuries.

Click "View on map" and follow the markers on your walk through the city centre.

Overgade in Odense
Photo: Panduro Photography

Overgade - A street with Viking roots

As you walk along Overgade and Vestergade in the heart of Odense, you are following a route that has served as the city's backbone for more than 1,000 years.
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Marking in the paving of the original Albani Church.
Photo: VisitOdense

Marking of the original Albani Church

On Albani Square, you are standing at one of the most important historic sites in Odense. This was once the location of St Albani Church, the city's first cathedral and the setting of one of the most…
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Family in the crypt under the Odense Cathedral
Photo: 24Copenhagen

Cnut the Holy - King and Saint

In the crypt beneath Odense Cathedral, you can meet Canute the Holy, the Danish king whose canonisation helped turn Odense into one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages. Discover his tomb, historic shrines and one of the most dramatic stories in Danish history.
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Family inspects the city miniature
Photo: 24Copenhagen

City miniatures - this is what Odense was like

On Sankt Knud’s Square, you can discover what Odense looked like more than 1,000 years ago and again some 600 years later.
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Odense Old Prison in Mageløs.
Photo: Joan Jensen© VisitOdense

The Oldest Odense - Klaregade

In the heart of modern Odense lies a place where the city's story stretches back more than 1,100 years. When you stand on Klaregade, you are standing in what is considered the oldest part of Odense.
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Familie ved Nonnebakken
Photo: 24Copenhagen

The beginning of Odense

Children play on the large swing set in the open grassy area between Nonnebakken and the Odense River, and everything feels peaceful. It is hard to imagine that during the Viking Age, this was probably the site of a sacred place where people worshipped Odin, the most powerful god in Norse mythology.
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Viking Ring Fortress
Photo: Odense Bys Museer

Nonnebakken - Odenses Viking Ring Fortress

In the heart of Odense, one of Denmark’s most important historic monuments lies hidden beneath streets, buildings and gardens.
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The Viking world stretched far and wide, and Funen offers plenty of opportunities to explore Viking Age sites and artefacts. Visit the Ladby King’s burial ship at the Viking Museum Ladby, the many Viking graves at Langelands Museum, the runestone at Øhavsmuseet in Faaborg, or the reconstructed ancient houses at Odin’s Odense.

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