Odense Slot began as a 15th-century Greyfriars monastery, was confiscated at the Reformation, and rebuilt as a royal residence under Frederik IV in the early 18th century. Christian IX spent summers here. Today it houses local government offices and is open to the public only for occasional events, but the long Baroque facade onto the King's Garden is impressive from outside.
The palace fronts directly onto the King's Garden, an attractive formal park whose alleys lead down to the train station. The combination — palace, garden, cathedral, town hall, all within five minutes' walk — defines the historic core of Odense.