Odense City Hall has since 1480 been at the corner of Vestergade and Flakhaven, but has repeatedly been restored and dismantled through time. In the time of Hans Christian Andersen, The City Hall was smaller and more humble in its appearance. In the basement of the town hall before the restoration in 1883, there was jail cell in which lesser criminals were put. Here, lived Hans Christian Andersen’s grandmother on bread and water, because she had given birth to three children out of marriage.
December 6. 1867 was Hans Christian Andersen’s happiest day. He had a toothache and was receiving tribute from the multitudes, standing by an open window. He was declared an honorary citizen. That day, Flakhaven was lit up by masses carrying torchlights.