In the 1950s, five ships from the Viking era (900-1100) were found, deliberately sunk together in a narrow part of the fjord. Scuttling of ships like this was a common way of defending a harbour, and Roskilde was one of the major towns in the area at the time. What excited the archaelologists the most, however, was that they were five different kinds of ships: trading ships, fishing ships, a small warship and a longboat. It took nearly thirty years to preserve the wood (using the same polyethyleneglycol process as the Vasa), and put the pieces back together to re-form the original ships.
But the museum didn’t stop there. They have also rebuilt exact replicas of all five ships, and sailed them. The longboat replica – called ‘Havhingsten fra Glendalough’ (‘Sea Stallion of Glendalough’) sailed from Roskilde to Dublin in the summer of 2007, and back to Roskilde in the summer of 2008. More info here.
Today, there is an active boatbuilding area, using traditional methods, materials, and tools. There are various areas where you can watch people making ropes, carving wood, weaving baskets and sails, and so forth.
For an extra cost, you can also go sailing in a Viking ship. This entailed giving Mum my camera – she did a good job, don’t you think?
We walked back to the train station through the town, and Mum found a new friend on the way!
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