Hans Christian Andersen visited for the first time the castle in 1838, on invitation from Count Moltke. The two had become acquainted at the nearby manor Lykkeholm. Glorup Manor or Glorup Castle was a favourite residence of Hans Christian Andersen for many years, first with Gebhard Moltke-Hvidtfeldt in 1839-1851 and again from 1853-1869 with her son Adam Gottlob Moltke-Hvidtfeldt.
Hans Christian Andersen sought tranquillity and inspiration in Glorup, and happily visited before and after his travels abroad. During his visits he spent plenty of time in the garden and gained inspiration for fairytales, travel writing and poetry.

In Glorup, the two rooms where Hans Christian Andersen stayed can be found. The small desk along the wall is still there, and the rooms have a view of the manor’s green pastures and livestock. In total, he spent about one year of his life in Glorup from 1839 to 1869.
The original and mostly modest garden were of a slight bog-like character, that provided fertile soil for the very large burdock leaves, which in turn inspired the fairy tale “”The Happy Family””. The burdock plants can still be seen next to some of the boulder dikes that surround Glorup Castle park The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset.

In the time of 1839-69 Hans Christian Andersen published several fairy tales: The Elf of the Rose, The Garden of Eden, The Flying Trunk, The Storks, The Wicked Prince, Sandman, The Swineherd, The Buckwheat, The Metal Pig, The Bond of Friendship, A Rose from Homer’s Grave, The Angel, The Nightingale, The Sweethearts; or The Top and The Ball, The Ugly Duckling, The Fir Tree, The Snow Queen, Thirty-First Evening, The Elder-Tree Mother, The Elf Mound [ … ]