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Term: Odense

The city of Odense, the fourth largest city in Denmark, is situated on the Odense Å River in the northern part of Fyn Island. It is the county seat of Fyn county commune. It is the site of a pagan sanctuary of Odin. An episcopal see from the 10th century, ts first recorded mention was in 1000 CE. King Canute was murdered in St. Alban's Church in 1086, after which he was canonized and Odense became a medieval pilgrimage site. The city was burned down in 1247, but flourished 16th-17th centuries, even more so after its harbor was opened in 1804. The historic architecture of the city features the Gothic St. Canute's Cathedral, built ca. 1300, which houses his shrine and tomb, Odense Castle which now is home to the county bureaucracy, a 12th century Benedictine monastery, and a Franciscan monastery founded 1279, and now serving as an almshouse. Cultural institutions includes the home of the author Hans Christian Andersen, an open-air museum called Funen Village, museums of art, archaeology, railroads, and history, and the University of Odense founded in 1964. The modern city is also an industrial and shipping center. The 2004 estimated population was 144,400.