Odinstårnet (''The

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

Tower'') was an

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

located on Bolbro Bakke ('' Bolbro Hill'') in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

History

The tower, 175 metres (581 ft) tall, was built in 1934-1935 using spare materials from the construction of the first

Little Belt Bridge The Little Belt Bridge (), also known as the Old Little Belt Bridge (), is a truss bridge over the Little Belt strait in Denmark. It spans from Snoghøj on the Jutland side to Middelfart on Funen. The bridge is owned by the Danish state, with ...

and opened on 29 May 1935. The tower quickly became a symbol and source of pride of both Odense and the entire island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

. Visitors said they could see the entire island from its observation platforms. If this statement is true, it was possible to see more than away. Construction of the tower took 30 tons of steel, 2,700 tons of concrete, and half a million kroner, a considerable amount of money at the time. The tower had two platforms. The first, located 70 metres (230 ft) above ground, was a restaurant featuring a great star-shaped room with low, broad windows, a buffet, and seats for 160 guests. Its roof was decorated with a great compass card with a map of Odense in the centre, surrounded by directions to all towns on the island. Each town was indicated by its direction, name, and coat of arms. A second platform was located 140 metres (460 ft) above ground, with an even greater view. From here, a spiral staircase offered access to the Conch Bar (), the name inspired by the staircase. Tables were located with one on each step of the staircase. The tower's kitchen was suspended beneath the restaurant on the first platform and considered to be very modern. The tower was a popular tourist attraction and in 1935 alone, it attracted more than 213,000 visitors, including many foreigners. It was also a favourite playground for model airplane enthusiasts. The Odin Tower was blown up on 06:15 AM on 14 December 1944 by a group of Danish

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

saboteurs called the Peter group under the leadership of Henning E. Brøndum, in a so-called act of

Schalburgtage Schalburgtage was the popular name for the retaliation which Germans and their Danish collaborators carried out as revenge for resistance activity in the last part of the occupation of Denmark between 1944 and 1945. The word is partially a ref ...

. The tower collapsed completely and was damaged beyond repair. It took two months to remove the scrap metal and almost ten years to remove the concrete. On 29 May 2004, the 69th anniversary of the inauguration of the original tower, students of the Odense Technical College (''Odense Tekniske Gymnasium'') erected a replica of the destroyed tower on its original site.

Gallery

Image:Ruiner_af_Odinstaarnet.jpg, Ruins of the destroyed tower. Image:Denmark-Odense-Odinstaarnet-replica.jpg, Replica of the tower at its former site. Erected in 2004.

References

External links

* http://www.odinstaarnet.dk (a committee lobbying for the reconstruction of the tower. In Danish but with many images). * https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182936/http://www.odense.dk/Topmenu/By-Milj%C3%B8/Stadsarkivet/Om%20Odense/Bygningsv%C3%A6rker/Om%20Odinst%C3%A5rnet.aspx * http://www.ots.dk/odinstaarn_3.htm * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odinstarnet Towers in Denmark Tourist attractions in Odense Towers completed in 1935 Demolished buildings and structures in Denmark Buildings and structures in Odense Buildings and structures destroyed during World War II Buildings and structures demolished in 1944 1935 establishments in Denmark 1944 disestablishments in Denmark