Statues of Hans Christian Andersen can be found in other cities and on other town hall squares in Denmark, but this one is in his birthplace of Odense.
Read this bit from Andersen's autobiography "The Fairy Tale of My Life" about his reception on December 6, 1867. He stood in the town hall on that night as his hometown honored him.
"I was to fulfill the prophecy which the old woman made when as a boy I left my birthplace, --Odense would be illuminated for me. I stepped to the open window; there was a blaze of light from the torches, the place was quite full of people. They sang, and I was overcome in my soul. I was physically overcome indeed, and could not enjoy this summit of fortune in my life. The toothache was intolerable."
You won't be surprised to know that the lost story in Andersen's last collection, published in 1872, is called "Auntie Toothache."
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