Odinstårnet

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The Odin Tower
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The Odin Tower

Odinstårnet (The Odin Tower) was an observation tower located on Bolbro Bakke (Bolbro Hill) in Odense, Denmark. The tower, 177 metres tall, was built in 1934-35 using spare materials from the construction of the first Little Belt Bridge and opened on 29 May 1935. It was the second tallest tower in Europe, surpassed only by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The tower quickly became a symbol and source of pride of both Odense and the entire island of Funen. Visitors claimed to be able to see the entire island from its observation platforms. If this claim is true, it would have been possible to see more than 50 kilometres 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. The tower had two platforms. The first, located 70 metres 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 above ground, with an even greater view. From here, a spiral staircase offered access to the Conch Bar (Danish: Konkyliebaren), 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.

Ruins of the destroyed tower
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Ruins of the destroyed tower

The Odin Tower was blown up on 06.15 AM on the 14 December 1944 by a group of Danish Nazi saboteurs under the leadership of Henning E. Brøndum, in a so-called act of Schalburgtage. 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 Skole) erected a 12 metres tall replica of the destroyed tower on its original site.

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