Lofotr Viking Museum, Vestvågøy, Norway

The Lofotr Viking Museum is a historical museum based on a reconstruction and archaeological excavation of a Viking chieftain's village on the island of Vestvågøya. In 1983, archaeologists uncovered the Chieftain House at Borg, a large Viking Era building believed to have been already established around the year 500 AD. A joint Scandinavian research project was conducted at Borg from 1986 until 1989. Excavations revealed the largest building ever to be found from the Viking period in Norway. The foundation of the Chieftain House at Borg measured 83 metres long and 9 metres high. The seat at Borg is estimated to have been abandoned around AD 950.

After the excavation ended, the remains of what had once been the long-house remained visible. The long-house has been reconstructed slightly to the north of the excavation site. In 1995, the Lofotr Viking Museum was opened. The museum includes a full reconstruction of the 83-metre long chieftain's house, a blacksmith's forge, two ships (replicas of the Gokstad ship, one in full scale size) and their boathouses, and various reenactments intended to immerse the visitor in life at the time of the Vikings. The main building was designed by Norwegian architect, Gisle Jakhelln.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Prestegårdsveien 4, Vestvågøy, Norway

See all sites in Vestvågøy

Details

Founded: 500 - 950 AD
Category: Museums in Norway

More Information

www.lofotr.no
en.wikipedia.org
www.visitnorway.com

Rating

4.3/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

MightyCRF (2 years ago)
For any Viking culture fan this is it the place to be! Had a great time at this museum, the viking long house is very awesome to see. There are a lot of other stalls you can check. There are also some great activities like axe throwing, bow shooting, and even a viking boat trip

Tania MT (2 years ago)
Really good experience to get to know more about the viking culture. Different expositions with info, dynamic activities (throwing axes, archery), you can sail a Viking boat, you can talk to the Vikings around and they'll give you lots of valuable info. Plus the surroundings are stunning!

Saul Adereth (2 years ago)
Great attraction for kids. The long house is amazing, and the dressed-up family photos are awesome. The activities were a lot of fun, and even the short walk over, through the woods, was beautiful. There was no boat ride when we went, either because of weather conditions, or a broken boat. In any event, we didn't feel the attraction was diminished

fabien P (2 years ago)
To understand more about this part of history fading between reality and mythology. Do not hesitate to ask questions, people were happy to share and tell more. We were there during the festival (first day), this is clearly the great moment to visit. You can also book a dinner there. Yes it is short, one hour, but you gonna be well entertain and feed.

Marie Bertin (2 years ago)
(Went in summer) A great viking museum with a lot of activities outside and inside. Includes an exhibition, a short movie, showcasing clothing/food/arts and craft (it's even possible to try on the weapons and clothing!), as well as activities outside (tour on a viking boat, horse riding, bow, axe-throwing, etc). It feels very lively as live actors are crafting, preparing food and doing activities in viking clothing. Some are sewing, some are baking, there is even a blacksmith actually smithing! They have animals around the museum, it's really perfect for kids and adults. The exhibition is showing tools and crafts made around the region. Everything is available in different languages, if you use your phone. I recommend :)

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Lofotr Viking Museum