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Viking Ship Museum

Vikingeskibsmuseet
The Viking Ship Museum
Established	1969
Location	Vindeboder 12, 4000 Roskilde Denmark
Type	Maritime history museum, archaeological museum
Collection size	Skuldelev ships
Director	Tinna Damgård-Sørensen
Website	Viking Ship Museum

The Viking Ship Museum (Danish: Vikingeskibsmuseet) in Roskilde is Denmark's national ship museum for ships of the prehistoric and medieval period.

The main focus of the museum is a permanent exhibition of the Skuldelev ships, five original Viking ships excavated nearby in 1962. The Viking Ship Museum also conducts research and educates researchers in the fields of maritime history, marine archaeology and experimental archaeology. Various academic conferences are held here and there is a research library in association with the museum.

Original Viking ships

Around the year 1070, five Viking ships were deliberately sunk at Skuldelev in Roskilde Fjord in order to block the most important fairway and to protect Roskilde from an enemy attack from the sea. These ships, later known as the Skuldelev ships, were excavated in 1962. They turned out to be five different types of ships ranging from cargo ships to ships of war.

The Viking Ship Museum overlooking the inlet of Roskilde Fjord was built in 1969 with the main purpose of exhibiting the five newly discovered Skuldelev ships.

The original Skuldelev Viking ships are the main focus of the museum, but a small exhibition about the Roskilde ships and various temporary exhibitions with a broader scope can also be experienced here.

Roskilde ships

In the late 1990s, excavations for the shipyard expansion of the Viking Ship Museum uncovered the remains of a further nine ships, the Roskilde ships, from the medieval period. It is the largest such discovery of ships in Northern Europe. Most of these are from the period just after the Viking Age, 1060-1350 AD, but Roskilde 6 [da] is from 1025 AD and is the longest Viking ship ever found; about 37 m (121 ft) long. All except Roskilde 8 have been excavated and their remains are at the National Museum of Denmark (Roskilde 6 on display, remaining in storage).

Reconstructed Viking ships and historical boats

The Viking Ship Museum has a long tradition of Viking ship reconstructions and boat building and also collects boats of interest from all over Scandinavia. The boat collection at the museum now comprise more than 40 vessels and the associated ship building yard is constantly building new ships by original methods as part of an experimental archaeology learning process. It is possible to follow or engage in the ship building process here. The shipyard is located on a small isle known as Museumsøen (Museum Island), connected to the main museum exhibition buildings by a drawbridge.

Every summer, a handful of boats are launched for extended sea voyages to accumulate more knowledge about the seafaring techniques and conditions of the Vikings.

Gallery

• A look down the halls
• Silhouette of an original Viking ship
• Small scale replicas
• The bridge to the shipyard of Museumsøen
• The reconstruction of Skuldelev 5 (1991)
• Boat building at the workshops
• Preservation of archaeological remains
• Fullscale navigable reconstructions of original ships are built at Museumsøen

See also

• Ladby ship
• National Museum of Denmark
• Viking Ship Museum in Oslo

References

1. "The Skuldelev Ships". Nautical Archaeology Program. Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
2. BBC Ancient history in-depth: Viking dig reports
3. "Roskildeskibene [The roskilde Ships]" (in Danish). Viking Ship Museum Roskilde. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
4. "Roskilde 6". Vikingeskibsmuseet. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
5. "Roskildeskibene". Vikingeskibsmuseet. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
6. "Vikingeskibsmuseets bådsamling [The boat collection of the Viking Ship Museum]" (in Danish). Viking Ship Museum Roskilde. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
7. "Skibenes togter [The ships' expeditions]" (in Danish). Viking Ship Museum Roskilde. Retrieved 9 January 2016.

External links

• Official website
• Picture Gallery
• Pictures of the Viking ship replicas, from visit in August 2009 Many high resolution photos
• "Rebirth of the Viking warship that may have helped Canute conquer the seas", Maev Kennedy, The Guardian, 27 December 2012

v t e Vikings
Culture	Blót Brisingamen Danegeld Dís Eddas Einherjar Futhark Elder Futhark Younger Futhark Germanic deities Gothi Hnefatafl Holmgang Leysingi Mjölnir Norsemen Norse funeral (ship burial) Norse mythology Norse rituals Old Norse Old Norse religion Raven banner Sagas Skald Seeress Skíðblaðnir Thrall Tyrfing Valhalla Valkyrie Viking Age Viking art Viking runestones Viking Age trade Wergeld Yggdrasil
Ships and navigation	Knarr Longship Viking ships Viking ship replica Visby lenses
Homelands and colonies	North Sea Empire Iceland Greenland Orkney Islands Shetland Faroe Islands North America L'Anse aux Meadows Vinland Jomsborg Kievan Rus'
Expansion	Viking expansion British Isles Danelaw Anglia Mercia York Isle of Man Scotland Wessex France Brittany Normandy Rhineland Pomerania Estonia Iberia Dublin Italy
Battles	Tactics and warfare Battle of Aclea First Battle of Alton Battle of Anglesey Sound Battle of Ashdown Battle of Assandun Battle of Basing Battle of Barry Battle of Bauds Battle of Benfleet Battle of Brávellir Battle of Brentford (1016) Battle of Brissarthe Battle of Brunanburh Battle of Buttington Battle of Cathair Cuan Battle of Chippenham Battle of Clontarf Battle of Confey Battle of Corbridge Battle of Cynwit Battle of Derby Battle of Dollar Battle of Edington Battle of Englefield Battle of Epiphany Battle of Fitjar Battle of Florvåg Battle of Fulford Battle of Fýrisvellir Battle of Glenmama Battle of Hafrsfjord Battle of Helgeå Battle of Hingston Down Battle of the Holme Battle of Hjörungavágr Battle of Islandbridge Battle of Largs Battle of Leuven (891) Battle of London Bridge Battle of Lüneburg Heath Battle of Lyrskov Heath Battle of Mag Femen Battle of Maldon Battle of Meretun Battle of Nesjar Battle of Niså Battle of Norditi Battle of Pinhoe Battle of Rastarkalv Battle of Reading (871) Battle of Renfrew Battle of Remich Battle of Ringmere Battle of Rochester Battle of Sasireti Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu Battle of Skyhill Battle of Stainmore Battle of Stamford (894) Battle of Stamford (918) Battle of Stamford Bridge Battle of Stiklestad Battle of Strangford Lough Battle of Svolder Battle of Sulcoit Battle of Tara (Ireland) Battle of Tarbat Ness Battle of Tempsford Battle of Tettenhall Battle of Thetford Battle of Thimeon Battle of Trans-la-Forêt Battle of York Burning of Luimneach Viking raid on Galicia and Asturias Raids in the Rhineland Raid on Seville Sack of Santiago de Compostela Siege of Asselt Siege of Chartres (911) Siege of Constantinople (860) Sack of Paris Siege of Paris Cnut the Great's invasion of England
Arms, armour and fortifications	Berserker Danevirke Great Heathen Army Hersir Hird Viking Age arms and armour Halberd Atgeir Skeggöx Dane axe Gjermundbu helmet Yarm helmet Sword Ulfberht Ingelrii Ring Fortress Raid Warfare and Tactics Shield-maiden Svinfylking Formation Varangian Guard
Historical figures	Airdeconut Amlaíb Cenncairech Amlaíb Cuarán Amlaíb Conung Aud the Deep-Minded (Ketilsdóttir) Auisle Bagsecg Berle-Kari Birka female Viking warrior Bjørn (floruit 856–58) Bjorn Asbrandsson Bjarni Herjólfsson Björn Ironside Bjorn the Easterner Cnut Egill Skallagrímsson Eohric of East Anglia Eric Bloodaxe Erik the Red Eric I of Denmark Eiríkr Hákonarson Freydís Eiríksdóttir Freygeirr Garðar Svavarsson Godfrid Haraldsson Godfrid, Duke of Frisia Grímur Kamban Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir Gunnar Hámundarson Guthred Guthrum Hakon Rognvaldsson Haakon the Good Haakon Sigurdsson Halfdan Long-Leg Halfdan Ragnarsson Hagrold Harald Bluetooth Harald Fairhair Harald Hardrada Harald Wartooth Hastein Hemming Halfdansson Hervor Hrafna-Flóki Vilgerðarson Hvitserk Ingvar the Far-Travelled Ingólfr Arnarson Ivar the Boneless Jomsvikings Ketilsdóttir Ketill Flatnose Ketil Trout (Iceland) Lagertha Leif Erikson Magnus Barefoot Naddodd Náttfari Olaf Tryggvason Olav Haraldsson Olaf the White Olof Skötkonung Orm Storolfsson Ohthere of Hålogaland Ottir Palnatoke Ragnar Lodbrok Ragnar Ragnarsson Ragnhild Eriksdotter Ragnall ua Imair Raud the Strong Reginheri Rognvald Eysteinsson Rollo Rorik Rusla Snæfrithr Svásadottir Sigvaldi Strut-Haraldsson Sigurd Ring Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye Sigurd the Stout Sitric Caech Skalla-Grímr Snorri Sturluson Steinunn Refsdóttir Styrbjörn the Strong Sweyn Asleifsson Sweyn Forkbeard Þorbjörg Lítilvölva Thorfinn the Mighty Thorfinn Torf-Einarsson Thorkell the Tall Thorir Hund Thorolf Kveldulfsson Thorstein the Red Tryggvi the Pretender Turgesius Valtoke Gormsson Vagn Åkesson Veborg Ubba Uí Ímair Unn the Deep-Minded
Runestones	Ballstorp Runestone Baltic area runestones Danish Runic Inscription 66 Danish Runic Inscription 154 Danish Runic Inscription 380 Egtved Runestone England runestones Greece runestones Gunnar's bridge runestones Hagby Runestones Hakon Jarl runestones Hällestad Runestones Ingvar runestones Italy runestones Karlevi Runestone Lingsberg Runestones Norra Härene Runestone Orkesta Runestones Runestones at Aspa Runestones of Högby Sædinge Runestone Sigtrygg Runestones Simris Runestones Sjörup Runestone Småland Runic Inscription 48 Södermanland Runic Inscription 174 Södermanland Runic Inscription 333 Sparlösa Runestone Stangeland stone Stone of Eric Runestone U 582 Uppland Runic Inscription 158 Varangian runestones Västergötland Runic Inscription 40 Västra Nöbbelöv Runestone Viking runestones
Related	Viking revival Viking Ship Museum (Oslo) Viking Ship Museum (Roskilde)

v t e Ancient seafaring
Vessels Types Balangay Bangka Beden Coracle Dhow Dragon boat Dugout canoe Fire ship Galley Penteconter Kunlun ship Liburna Longship Multihull Navis lusoria Obelisk ship Outriggers Sakman Single-outrigger Catamaran Trimaran Polyremes Bireme Oared warships Trireme Quadrireme Quinquereme Hexareme Tessarakonteres Raft Reed boat Sailing ship Solar ship Tomol Tākitimu Uru by region Austronesia Egypt Persia Rome Propulsion Paddling Sailing Towing Poling Components Anchor Bow Cabin Deck Figurehead Hull Planking Keel Mast Oar Paddle Rope Rudder Steering oar Sail Sail components Stem Sternpost Strake Tiller Construction Boat building Careening Carvel built Clinker built Dugout Framing Frame-first Shell-first Joinery Lashed-lug Mortise and tenon Phoenician joint Scarf joint Sewn-plank Shipbuilding By region: Egypt Rigging Crab claw Fore-and-aft Lateen Settee Tanja Triangular sail Junk Mast-aft Spritsail Square Armaments Ballista Catapult Corvus Dolphin Fire ship Harpax Ram Sambuca
Navigation, and ports and harbors Navigation Celestial Charts Coastal Lighthouses History Ocean swell Stick chart Periplus Piloting Pilot boat Maritime pilot By region: Inuit Micronesian Polynesia Ports and harbors Actium Aden Adulis Alexandria Apollonia Arikamedu Arsinoe Avalites Barbarikon Barygaza Basra Berenice Troglodytica Bosphorus Caesarea Maritima Canopus Carthage Centumcellae Charmutha Chittagong Delos Essina Giao Chỉ Godavaya Guangzhou Jambukola Jeddah Kaveri Poompattinam Kedah Korkai Leptis Magna Lothal Manthai Madurai Malao Mersa Gawasis Myos Hormos Martaban Mueang Phra Rot Muscat Muziris Narbonne Nesis Óc Eo (Cattigara) Opone Ostia Antica Palembang Piraeus Portus Augusti Portus Pisanus Prosphorion Ptolemais Theron Puteoli Qal'at al-Bahrain Qandala Quilon Rhacotis Sarapion Satingpra Sidon Socotra Sounagoura Thapsus Trincomalee Tulum Tyndis Tyre Wadi al-Jarf Zanzibar
History Prehistory Timeline Britain Oceania Remote Near Ubaid period Indus Valley Civilizations Ancient Egypt Old Kingdom Austronesia Philippines Sa Huỳnh Lapita Micronesia Langkasuka Kedah Champa Kutai Tarumanagara Kalingga Srivijaya Sunda Polynesia Minoan Indus Valley Tamilakam Chola Chera Pandya Somalia Dilmun Maya Nuragic Mycenaean Phoenicia Olmecs Carthage Greece Archaic Classical Rome Achaemenid Nabatea Aksum Migration and exploration Peopling of Australia Peopling of Micronesia Austronesian Expansion Greeks in pre-Roman Gaul Ocean exploration Phoenician maritime expansion Sardinia Circumnavigation of Africa Pytheas' voyage to Britain Roman circumnavigation of Britain Timeline Mariners and explorers Henenu Euthymenes Hanno the Navigator Himilco Sataspes Androsthenes of Thasos Archias of Pella Alexander the Great Nearchus Pytheas Megasthenes Xu Fu Hippalus Julius Caesar Eudoxus of Cyzicus Maes Titianus Military Navies Egyptian Achaemenid Greek Roman Battles Mediterranean:   Alashiya Nile Delta Salamis Artemisium Eurymedon Naupactus Olpae Syracuse Cynossema Arginusae Mytilene Hellespont Echinades Salamis II Mylae Cape Hermaeum Ecnomus Drepana Aegates Lake Trasimene Chios Myonessus Nile Naulochus Mycale Actium Tactics Boarding Grappling Incendiaries Oared vessels Sailing ships Greek navy Ramming By region China India Odisha Japan Rome South America Rafts
Economy and trade Whaling Fishing Egypt Land of Punt Indo–Mesopotamia relations Meluhha Maritime Jade Route Tin Spice trade Austronesian network Sa Huynh-Kalanay Incense trade Maritime Silk Road Periplus of the Erythraean Sea Maya Greece Greco–Indian shipping Rome Indo–Roman
Piracy History Mediterranean piracy Ameinias the Phocian Cilician pirates Jewish pirates Kidnapping of Julius Caesar Pompey's campaign against the pirates
Research and education Scholars Historians David Blackman Lionel Casson Fik Meijer John Sinclair Morrison William L. Rodgers Chester G. Starr Archaeologists George Bass Jean-Yves Empereur Boris Rankov J. Richard Steffy Peter Throckmorton Shelley Wachsmann Topics and theories Coastal defence and fortification Grave goods Lighthouses Alexandria Marine art Marine navigation Maritime archaeology Naval warfare Maritime temples Temple of Isthmia Temple of Poseidon, Sounion Samothrace temple complex Nusantao network Phoenician discovery of America Pre-Columbian theories Sea Peoples Shipbuilding Shell middens Ship burial Tacking Thalassocracy Underwater archaeology Underwater exploration Wrecks and relics Earliest: Pesse canoe Dufuna canoe Abydos Moor Sand Dokos Khufu ship Dover Bronze Age Boat Uluburun Canaanite Cape Gelidonya Zambratija Rochelongue Hjortspring Austronesia Pontian boat Butuan boats Black Sea‎ Sinop D Marsala Greek: Ashkelon Kyrenia Leontophoros Syracusia Phoenician: Gozo Bajo de la Campana Punic: Marsala Punic shipwreck Roman: Alkedo Arles Rhône 3 Blackfriars I Caligula's Giant Ship De Meern ships Isis Madrague de Giens Nemi ships Marausa Yassi Ada Lists: Oldest surviving Museum ships Surviving ancient ships Sites H3 Qal'at al-Bahrain Experimental archaeology Ship replica Heyerdahl expeditions Kon-Tiki Ra and Ra II Austronesian replicas Hōkūleʻa Sarimanok Te Au o Tonga Hawaiʻiloa canoe Samudra Raksa Alingano Maisu Saina Balangay Voyage Faʻafaite Gaualofa Marumaru Atua Mediterranean Olympias Regina Phoenician Ship Expedition Viking replicas Viking Others Vital Alsar Ivlia Abora Viracocha Tangaroa Institutes and conferences Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology Archaeological Institute of America European Association of Archaeologists Institute of Nautical Archaeology International Congress of Maritime Museums Nautical Archaeology Society RPM Nautical Foundation Sea Research Society Society for American Archaeology Museums and memorials Boat Museum, Kolkata Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology Giza Solar boat museum Grand Egyptian Museum Ancient Shipwreck Museum at Kyrenia Castle Museum of Ancient Seafaring Museum of Ancient Ships, Pisa National Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology Viking ship museums: Oslo Roskilde
Legend and literature Legend Ark of bulrushes Flood myths Genesis Gilgamesh Greek Literature Odyssey The Histories (Herodotus) On the Ocean Argonautica The Histories (Polybius) Metamorphoses Geography Aeneid

55°39′0.5″N 12°4′44.2″E / 55.650139°N 12.078944°E / 55.650139; 12.078944

• Museums established in 1969
• Maritime museums in Denmark
• Roskilde
• Listed buildings and structures in Roskilde Municipality
• Archaeology of shipwrecks
• Ships preserved in museums
• Viking Age museums
• 1969 establishments in Denmark
• Museums in Region Zealand