Odense Ages. After a period of decline, large-scale plans for development were made during the 18th century, which led to the rebuilding of Odense Palace and the building of a canal to the Port of Odense, facilitating trade. In 1865, one of the largest railway terminals in Denmark was built, further increasing the population and commerce, and by 1900, Odense had reached a population of 35,000. Odense's Odinstårnet was one of the tallest towers in Europe when built in 1935 but was destroyed by the Nazis during World War II. The University of Southern Denmark was established in 1966. In the
Odense Stadium the entire sports facility, comprising five fields (an association football stadium with a total capacity of approximately 12,000 spectators, an athletics stadium, a cricket ground, a hockey pitch and a throwing lane), was DKK 1,314,266.26 kr. (1941), which corresponded to the yearly wage of approximately 350 unskilled workers, and was entirely funded by the municipality of Odense. The second edition of Odense Idrætspark was officially inaugurated on 17 August 1941, when the Danish athletics championships were organized at the athletics stadium and speeches were held in the presence of the mayor of Odense, Ignatius Vilhelm Werner (Social Democrats), the chairman