Discover Otterup: History, Trails and Nature

Otterup reveals its character in three ways: cultural history, marked trails and nature observation. If you would like to weigh up museums, historic buildings, walks, bike rides and birdwatching for your trip, you will find various starting points for planning your days in Otterup and along the routes.

Industrial History and Museums

The HistorieCenter Otterup is located in the old gun factory in Otterup, on the first floor in the rooms where assembly work used to take place. It offers guided tours and talks about the history and production of Schultz & Larsen, the Otterup Geværfabrik and A/S Dansk Ammunitionsfabrik.

The Otterup Geværfabrik was founded in 1889 by marksman Hans Schultz. Every visitor, regardless of age, needs an admission ticket to access its halls.

At the Otterup Museum, historical rooms, stories about people and crafts, and accounts of everyday life convey how people used to live in Otterup. The museum also features a unique Viking settlement, or Viking dwelling, where the Otterup Viking lived.

Churches and Historical Landmarks

Galgedil, west of Otterup, was a Viking cemetery in the 9th century where Vikings buried their dead. Frelserens Hospital was inaugurated on 11 October 1722.

Otterup Kirke features several details of artistic and architectural-historical interest. It has a Romanesque baptismal font of the North Funen type with rich vine-scroll ornamentation, as well as a richly carved wooden pulpit and a pulpit canopy from 1616 bearing the coats of arms of Johan Nielsen Friis and his wife, Karen Krabbe. The church was originally built in 1150 and expanded during the Middle Ages; the old walls were demolished to rebuild it as a larger church.

In the centre of Otterup, the sculpture Midgårdsormen stands in the market square. It depicts Thor fighting a serpent. Its nine humps symbolise the nine parishes that together formed the former Otterup Municipality.

Trails for Walks and Bike Rides

All four signposted Kløver routes in Otterup can be explored on foot, by running or by bike. Signs and a small cloverleaf mark the routes. Kærlighedsstien follows a former beet railway line and runs as a walking trail between the former railway station and the former Nislevgaard estate.

The Glavendrup Route is 30 km long, passes through Otterup and then returns to Otterup. The Hasmark Route runs through the landscapes of northern Funen, along Odense Fjord, past Hasmark Strand and the Kattegat coast, and along old roads to Otterup.

Forest, Marsh and Birdlife

The Otterup Byskov offers quieter opportunities for observing nature. There is a path of around two kilometres through the forest and around the marsh, beneath tall beech trees. At Otterup Andedam, you can observe the diverse birdlife, including black swans, ducks and other feathered inhabitants. There are also enclosures with silkie chickens, peacocks and various pheasants.

Bus route 200A connects Otterup with Odense; the journey takes around 20 minutes.

If you would like to include more places in your travel plans, you can also consider Jørgensø, Tåstrup, Bederslev, Morud, Bogense, Skåstrup, Søndersø and Hasmark.

For the overall travel overview: Nordfyns.