Visit the boatyard

Visit the boatyard

The boatyard is located in the middle of the museum island. During the summer months, the boat builders build reconstructions of Viking ships and other traditional wooden boats. The smell of fresh wood tar fills the air and the sound of the boat builder's axe against the oak tree rhythmically echoes across the yard.

During the summer months the boat builders are working on reconstructing a real Viking ship, Skuldelev 5, which is on display in the Viking Ship Hall, and every day you can meet a craftsman who will explain and demonstrate the special techniques the Vikings used when building their impressive ships. 

In winter, they move into the winter shipyard and work on maintaining the museum's many ships and build on smaller projects than the large reconstructions of the Skuldelev ships.

Boatyard programme

The shipbuilders build ships in the boatyard hall and in the winter boatyard.
Every day from 10:00 - 16:00

Exhibition of tools from the Viking Age in the boatyard hall.
Every day from 10:00 - 16:00

In the Shipyard Hall you can experience the exhibition about the boatbuilders' tools. The tools used by the museum's boat builders are faithful copies of archaeological finds of Viking tools. On display are many different shaped axes and other chopping tools that produce specific cuts.

Each tool has a unique function and in the Shipyard Hall you can study them up close. Maybe you can even recognize the ancestors of the tools you have at home?
Boatbuilders rely heavily on their tools, so visitors don't get the chance to carve with them themselves. However, you can see which tools the boat builders use for their current construction projects - and you're welcome to ask why that particular tool is in use.

The construction of the small warship Skuldelev 5 continues in 2026

The boatbuilders’ largest project at the shipyard in recent years is the reconstruction of the original Viking Age ship Skuldelev 5, which is on display in the Viking Ship Hall. During the winter months, construction outdoors comes to a halt, but you can still walk around the ship at the shipyard grounds and get a sense of the fascinating work involved in building a Viking ship.

» Read much more about the Skuldelev 5 project here...