Hans Christian Andersen: A 'happy' Dane in Malaga

Probably one of the most popular selfie locations in the centre of Malaga city is a bronze statue of Hans Christian Andersen sitting on a bench in top hat and bow tie in Plaza de la Marina. But why has the 19th-century author of children's stories such as The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid been installed in this area, as if daydreaming while peering out to sea?

The work of sculptor José María Córdoba, the statue was commissioned by the Danish Royal Family to commemorate the writer's visit to the province in 1862, which he recorded in his book Journey through Spain. Captivated by the beauty of the city, its location on the Mediterranean, its luminosity, sights, smells and sounds, Andersen, who claimed that "travelling strangely expands the mind", noted, "in no other Spanish city have I been as happy and as comfortable as in Malaga".

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He was said to have been excited by the number of Danish ships docked in the port (he considered this a good omen) that were visible from the balcony of his room in the Fonda del Oriente. It was from the view of the Alameda from this historic hotel, considered one of the first real hotels in the city, that Andersen was assailed by the sound of castanets, "pretty Gypsies" selling chestnuts and "peasants with baskets full of figs and dates".

His account of Malaga paints a vivid picture of the tonic effect the city had on his senses, highlighting that his thoughts were "filled with gladness and song". He also fell under the spell of the English cemetery, which he called "a little paradise, a charming garden with tombstones which had inscriptions in Danish".

According to Enrique Baena, a professor at the University of Malaga, of all the places Andersen visited, "Malaga stole his heart."

The monument in Plaza de la Marina was unveiled in 2005 to mark the bicentennial of his birth. Malaga also has a primary school that bears his name, located in Calle Dulce Chacón.