The world knows him as the creator of The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. Yet Hans Christian Andersen was not only a writer but also a passionate traveler—albeit in his own peculiar way. He suffered from severe anxieties, especially a fear of dying in a hotel fire. For this reason, he always carried a long, sturdy rope in his suitcase on his journeys, including those to northern Bohemia, to escape through a window if necessary.
Despite these fears, he enjoyed his stay in Teplice, and the romantic landscape awakened another hidden talent. Temporarily exchanging his pen for drawing tools, he was captivated by the ruins of Doubravka Castle, which he sketched himself. His drawings show that this Danish genius perceived the world not only through words, but also through images.
