Odense museum acquires rare H. C. Andersen collection from Swedish estate

Museum Odense has purchased a unique collection of 30 works by Hans Christian Andersen from a Swedish antiquarian bookseller, describing the acquisition as “cultural world heritage,” Danish broadcaster DR reports.

The items, once owned by Swedish collector Thore Virgin (1886–1957), include original manuscripts, a 90-page handwritten tragedy (Maurerpigen, 1840), a dramatic reading text (Ahasverus) with a 22-line dedication to King Christian VIII, and Andersen’s first poetry collection (1830) with a dedication to Adam Oehlenschläger. The museum declined to disclose the purchase price.

“This collection holds immense research and educational potential,” said Mads Thagaard Runge, head of development at Museum Odense. “We’re thrilled to preserve these items for future generations and make them accessible to the public.”

The works span 1830—shortly after Andersen’s literary debut—to 1872. Selected pieces will be displayed later this year in a dedicated exhibition space at the H. C. Andersen House in Odense, the author’s birthplace. The museum acquired the collection through Stockholm’s Antikvariat Mats Rehnström.

Senior researcher Ejnar Stig Askgaard called the acquisition a “tremendous addition” to Andersen’s legacy, emphasizing its significance as part of Denmark’s cultural heritage.