Viking Ship Museum

Særudstilling: I Vikingernes Kølvand

In 1962 the remains of five Viking ships came up out of the mud at the bottom of Roskilde Fjord. The find turned our knowledge of Nordic maritime culture upside down and opened the door to the world of the Viking Age. The special exhibition 'I Vikingernes Kølvand' is the story of how the five Skuldelev ships have shaped the Viking Ship Museum: how the unique find has been of decisive importance for maritime archaeology in Denmark, and has been the driving force behind far-reaching archaeological experiments with reconstruction and sailing.

Stig Ombord

The Viking Ship Museum's exhibition 'Stig Ombord' is a fundamental story of the journey across the open sea; everything the crew sees, hears, feels and senses on their own bodies - while the day passes from a clear and bright morning to an enveloping darkness. When the weather changes from calm and almost dazzling sunshine to storm, thunder and high seas, you clearly sense how the mood shifts from the lethargy of boredom to the energy of drama.

De fem rekonstruktioner

'De fem rekonstruktioner' - the five Skuldelev ships - were built and used by people who left countless traces in the ships: the shape bears witness to the function, which waters they were built to sail, and what sailing qualities the boatbuilder wanted. The grain of the wood shows how particular parts of the tree were used for particular parts of the ship. And the tool marks tell of the boatbuilder's use of axes, planes and augers. The Viking Ship Museum's reconstructions lie in the Museum Harbour, side by side with the traditional wooden boats. The harbour setting and the surrounding exhibitions and activities underline the direct connection between the Skuldelev ships in the Viking Ship Hall and their successors - and build a bridge between history and tradition.