Odense settlements. The first church in Odense appears to have been St Mary's, probably built in the late 12th century. The territory, previously part of the vast Archbishopric of Hamburg, was created a Catholic diocese in 988. The first recorded bishops of Odense were Odinkar Hvide and Reginbert, who was consecrated by Archbishop Æthelnoth of Canterbury, in 1022. Recent excavations have shown that from the early 11th century, the town developed in the area around Albani Torv, Fisketorvet, Overgade and Vestergade. By 1070, Odense had already grown into a city of stature in Denmark. Canute IV of Denmark, generally considered to
Odense City Hall Odense City Hall Odense City Hall () houses the administrative offices of Odense Municipality in the city of Odense on the Danish island of Funen. Today's building was designed by Johan Daniel Herholdt and Carl Lendorf in the Historicist style, inspired by Italian buildings such as the Palazzo Pubblico in Siena which it closely resembles. Completed in 1885, tts red masonry bears sandstone decorations, stepped gables and a saw-tooth course. It stands on the site of a smaller building from 1480. In 1937, Bent Helveg-Møller won the competition for the building's enlargement. The tower over the main entrance was torn