Land of Legends and Ship Technology
Welcome to Fjordlandet, the Land of Legends, and the World of Myths. The area is immortalised in legends, chronicles, and myths. It appears, for example, in the Old English epic poem about Beowulf, a poem which generations of English children have read through in school, and which inspired Tolkien to write “The Lord of the Rings”. Much of the poem takes place in a magnificent royal hall, not unlike those whose traces have been found in Gl. Lejre.
The area also appears in perhaps the most famous chronicle of Denmark’s ancient times, written by Saxo, who was commissioned to write down the deeds of the Danes by Archbishop Absalon. Here you hear about the royal dynasty of the Skjoldungerne, legendary kings who, according to myths, were said to have lived in Lejre. You can also read about them in the Icelandic sagas.
The problem is that all these accounts are sagas, blending mythology with history and heroic poems. In today’s terms, Saxo might have been called a spin doctor. Hence, professional historians once wrote Gl. Lejre out of Denmark’s history.
However, for the past 40 years, Roskilde and Lejre Museum have been leading various excavations, restoring Gl. Lejre to its rightful place in Denmark’s history.
We now know that Gl. Lejre was a power centre for more than 500 years, bridging the patchwork of kingdoms in Denmark’s Iron Age and the unified kingdom that emerged during the Viking Age.
See magnificent finds from Lejre’s rich soil at Lejre Museum. Experience how colourful legendary stories and archaeological discoveries complement each other. Admire the exquisite gold and silver artefacts. See the unique miniature figure of Odin sitting on his throne with his ravens. Explore the grounds outside, where you can still see the foundations of the splendid halls where a kingly dynasty held and maintained their power for more than 500 years.
Continue your journey to Sagnland Lejre and get up close to Denmark’s largest royal hall, skillfully and carefully recreated here, allowing you to sense the grandeur of the past.
Engage with the hosts and delve into the social structures and symbolic actions that helped maintain the king’s power and provided him with the ‘divine right’ to rule over his subjects.
Learn, for instance, about the diplomatic maneuvering’s within the royal hall, where your physical placement was closely aligned with the guest status you held. Handle recreated swords and tools from the Viking era. Travel back to the pagan heyday and explore Nordic architecture and craftsmanship circa 700.
Photo:Werner Karrasch
In Fjordlandet, you can also get closer to the seafaring world and the ships of the Viking Age. The swift Viking ships are the crucial foundation for even discussing a Viking Age. With Viking ships, the world acquired an entirely new ship technology. The ships were fitted with sails, and the Vikings could now sail along the coasts of Europe, up rivers, and across the open seas throughout the North Atlantic area. This is the moment when the world became accessible to the people of that time.
It wasn’t just in Scandinavia that seaworthy ships emerged; this development occurred similarly in the Arab world and Indonesia at around the same time. Thus, we acquired a collective understanding of the world, where a Norwegian Viking from northern Norway could come to Hedeby around the turn of the millennium and meet another Viking who had been to Greenland or perhaps America. Or a merchant who had just returned from a journey to Constantinople, where he met a man who had been to Madagascar.
Photo:Jacob Nyborg Andreassen
You can learn much more about the Viking ships’ universe at the Viking Ship Museum. Here, you will not encounter anyone dressed as Vikings. Instead, you will step into a vibrant maritime universe where you can see five original Viking ships that were sunk at Skuldelev in the latter half of the 10th century to form a barrier in Roskilde Fjord.
The museum not only imparts ship technology but also brings history and craftsmanship to life. This way, the museum illustrates how the Vikings transformed the world with their ships—and how these ships fundamentally changed the world for Scandinavians. What did one gain by using these ships? How did the ships evolve during the Viking Age? What social structures were necessary to build ships of the number and size the Vikings did (hint: a central power structure, labour specialisation, and ample resources)? And what impact did the Vikings leave on Europe and its history?
If you wish to find the answers, visit the world-famous museum by Roskilde Fjord, where you can also sail in a clinker-built Nordic wooden ship.
Photo:Søren Wesseltoft
Photo:Ole Malling
Lejre Land of Legends
Here, staff work on a scientific basis to convey the Viking Age so that you feel and understand the past. Embark on a journey 1200 years back in time. Explore Denmark’s largest royal hall. Get close to the world of the Vikings. See more
©ROMUPhoto:Ole Malling
Lejre Museum
Over the last 40 years, Lejre Museum has excavated large parts of the Gl. Lejre area. As a result, Lejre is now back in Danish history as a royal residence for more than 500 years. See the many spectacular artefacts here.
Photo:Werner Karrasch
Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
1000 years ago, Vikings sailed along the coasts of Europe, up rivers and across the open sea. Learn how the Vikings changed the world with their ships. Get close to the building processes and Viking craftsmanship.
The Rise and Fall of the Vikings Viking Route has been developed in collaboration between Destination Fjordlandet, Destination Fyn and Destination Trekantområdet and the associated museums.
Continue your journey to Funen, where you can meet Denmark’s last Viking king and experience the mystical darkness of a Viking king’s ship burial. Discover Harald Bluetooth’s impressive Ravning Bridge and the Monument Area in Jelling, which stand as testaments to his greatness – and his downfall. These grand constructions demanded blood, sweat, and timber – and ultimately cost him his throne.
Photo:Ole Malling
Things take quite a turn for Harald. In Jelling, he constructs an impressive platform to tell the story of a new kind of king with strong central authority. He converts the Danes to Christianity, thereby accelerating the transition from paganism to Christianity. But why does he instigate all this? And how did his zeal for building and grandeur lead to his downfall? You can learn much more about this when you visit Kongernes Jelling.
Photo:Werner Karrasch
In 925, a powerful king was buried in his warship at Ladby on Fyn. Enter the king’s burial mound and experience Denmark’s only ship grave from the inside. Continue to the Viking city of Odense. Explore Harald Bluetooth’s great ring fortress. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Say hello to the last Viking king, Knud IV, who became a saint after his sudden and violent death.
