25 October: The Viking ships are hauled ashore

The Viking ships will be brought ashore in the traditional way – by hauling, pulling and lifting using sheer manpower. It takes plenty of elbow grease, muscle power and coordinated teamwork.

Everyone is warmly welcome to stop by, watch the process and greet the museum’s many invaluable volunteers, who sail the beautiful reconstructions of the five Viking ships from Roskilde Fjord.

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A Spectacular Sight

The Viking Ship Museum holds a large collection of reconstructed Viking ships and traditional Nordic wooden boats. Each vessel is unique, with its own story and special characteristics.

The jewels of the collection are, of course, the reconstructions of the five Viking ships excavated from Roskilde Fjord. These are all “guild boats”, maintained and sailed by dedicated volunteer members of the museum’s boat guilds.

It’s a truly impressive sight to watch the large longship Sea Stallion from Glendalough being hauled ashore.

Bringing the museum’s largest longship ashore requires special resources – the vessel is 30 metres long and weighs over 8 tonnes. The guild members are therefore assisted by other boat guilds and a powerful Falck vehicle, which is “harnessed” to help move the ship.

In Viking times, the largest ships were likely hauled ashore using raw muscle power – and perhaps with the help of horses.

Programme for the day to follow…