Places to Explore
Experience the historic, transatlantic, breathtakingly beautiful sites of the Vikings!
1 L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
On the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula on Newfoundland Island lies the first and only confirmed location of Viking settlement in the Americas. The site features eight Viking-style turf structures, similar to other Atlantic migration sites in Greenland and Iceland, four workshops, three dwellings, and a forge. Artefacts found at the settlement after archaeological digs suggest to historians that it was likely this site was used for woodworking, ironworking and as a place for Viking settlers to explore further south. Today L’Anse aux Meadows is a UNESCO World Heritage site maintained by the Canadian and Provincial Governments. Explorers of this unique Canadian historical location can view some of the site’s artefacts in the Visitor Centre exhibitions, be immersed in living history experiences on the site as well as at the Norstead Living History Viking Village, and go on guided tours that explore the place’s archaeological significance.
Viking Encampment and Visitor Centre is open from 9am to 5pm every day from June to October. Adult entry $13.25.
2 JELLING MOUNDS, RUNIC STONES AND CHURCH
Found in Jelling, Denmark the two mounds, stones with inscriptions and accompanying church represent a landmark moment in both Viking and Danish history. The smaller of the two stones is a pagan dedication from King Gorm to his Queen, Thyra. The larger was erected by their son Harald Bluetooth around 965 CE in memory of his parents. While these inscriptions might seem insignificant, they feature the earliest examples of Christian imagery and references to ‘Denmark’ in Viking, Scandinavian and Danish history. This, coupled with the history of churches (wooden and stone), represents the birth of Denmark and its official adoption of Christianity as the Viking and Danish religion. Today on the site one can visit the stone church, view the protected runic stones, and walk around the pagan burial mounds where investigations into a palisade and evidence of a ship setting are still taking place to add to the site’s impressive history.
Available to view 24 hours a day, seven days a week for free.
3 NJARDARHEIMR IN GUDVANGEN
Deep within the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site of the West Norwegian Fjords lies the reconstructed Viking village of Njardarheimr in the village of Gudvangen. During the Viking Age, Gudvangen was an important trading post as it is situated at the end of the Nærøy
