The garden is situated in the quarter between the city centre and Sankt Knudsgade. It was established by a book club in 1876. This meant that it was closed to the general public. The book club was a library for the wealthy citizens of Odense. Only those with membership cards could enter the garden.
In 1942 the book club handed the gardens over to the Municipality of Odense. The park was completely reconstructed. Parts were added from the monastic herb garden of St. Canute Cathedral and other fine gardens in the area. The project was run by architects C. Th. Sørensen and P. Wad in collaboration with B. Helweg-Møller, who was the Town Hall architect. The pergola, all the bridges and the “Chinese Wall” are designed and built to the highest standards, as befits a Town Hall garden. The original pergola contained an attractive pattern of diamond shaped beds. In 1949 the statue of Hans Christian Andersen was erected in the garden. It was created by Louis Hasselriis. Close by – in the river – there is a Erik Heide sculpture of a paperboat, dating back to 1985.