Carl Nielsens Barndomshjem

About the museum

The small house on the country road between Odense and Faaborg was built in the 1850s. In spring 1878 Carl Nielsen's parents bought it, and the family moved in that summer. The young Carl Nielsen lived here until November 1879, when he went to Odense as a military musician. In 1891 he introduced his wife, the sculptor Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen, to his parents here. In his childhood memoirs "Min fynske Barndom" of 1927, Nielsen described the house as a place full of light and joy.

Since 1956 the house has been open as a museum. Because of the widening of the road, it was later moved back a little from the roadway. Today it belongs to Museum Odense, which also runs the Carl Nielsen Museet in the city.

The museum is deliberately designed like a lived-in home: visitors may sit on the chairs and leaf through books, and it smells of tobacco and of the resin used for violins. The exhibition tells how the folk music of central Funen shaped the boy, who first played the violin at the age of six and wrote his first polka at nine, and sheds light on family, village life, and music.

Highlights

• Parental home where Carl Nielsen lived as a teenager 1878–1879
• Homelike furnishings to sit in and browse instead of classic display cases
• Exhibition on childhood, family, and Funen folk music
• Can be combined with the Carl Nielsen Museet in Odense: its ticket is valid here for the rest of the season
• Garden with tables and benches for picnics

Permanent exhibitions

• Carl Nielsens fynske barndom og ungdom – Homelike furnished rooms and an exhibition on Nielsen's childhood, his family, country life in central Funen, and the folk music that shaped him.

Founded

1956

Operated by

Museum Odense

Admission & discounts

A ticket from the Carl Nielsen Museet in Odense is valid for one visit to the childhood home during the rest of the season. With a ticket for H.C. Andersens Hus bought in advance, there is a 50% discount within 30 days. Visitors with a Ukrainian passport have free admission. School and daycare groups as part of lessons free (registration requested). Payment by credit card and MobilePay.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Smaller wheelchairs fit into the exhibition rooms; there is no accessible restroom.

Kids & families

Children and young people up to age 17 have free admission. The house is furnished for sitting and touching.

Getting there & parking

The house is about 15 km south of Odense between Nørre Lyndelse and Nørre Søby on the main road toward Faaborg.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop

Small shop with CDs, books, crafts, cards, and toys. Food you bring yourself can be eaten in the garden at a few tables and benches, not in the house.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit