Odense City Hall

Odense City Hall, inspired by Siena

The present-day Odense City Hall was completed in 1883 and designed by architects Johan Daniel Herholdt and Carl Lendorf. The building was constructed in the Italian Gothic style, with clear inspiration from Palazzo Pubblico, the town hall in Siena, Italy.

Originally, the City Hall had a tall tower. Problems with the tower arose soon after its construction, and it had to be rebuilt. In 1942, it was demolished once again, and this time it was not rebuilt.

Above the main entrance, you can see three figures created by Odense sculptor Aksel Hansen in 1883. Made of zinc, they represent Power, Justice and Wisdom.

Art and architecture inside

The City Hall was later extended according to plans by architect Bent Helweg-Møller. The extension was completed in 1955 and includes the large main hall. Bent Helweg-Møller also designed numerous details for the building, from lamps and railings to door handles and fittings.

In the City Hall's banqueting hall, you will find two large frescoes by Funen-born painter Johannes Larsen. He worked on the decoration in the 1930s, and the paintings cover the end walls of the hall with scenes from the Danish countryside. One of them depicts red deer in a beech forest.

In the main hall, Yan Kai Nielsen's work Fynsk Forår (Funen Spring) covers an entire end wall. Completed in 1958, the monumental work combines painting and sculpture. It depicts a Funen landscape with a large poplar tree whose trunk is made of copper. Elsewhere in the building, you can also see paintings, sculptures and reliefs by well-known artists such as Keld Moseholm and Kurt Trampedach.

Did you know...

You can still see a bullet hole in Odense's coat of arms above the main entrance? It dates from the German occupation of Denmark, when the City Hall was targeted in a German reprisal attack.