Roskilde - Viking Ship Museum Vikingeskibshallen

Roskilde's second main attraction (along with the Cathedral), the Viking Ship Museum on the bank of the fjord, was opened to the public in 1969. The fishermen of Roskilde had known for a long time that there was an underwater stone ridge in the fjord; according to local tradition the accumulation of stones covered a ship which had been sunk by Queen Margarethe (d. 1412). It was only when the Danish National Museum carried out underwater excavations in 1957 that the barrier at a narrow part of the fjord was found to date from the Viking Age and to consist of more than one ship.

These had been sunk and covered with stones at some time between 1000 and 1050 in order to block the fjord and to protect the trading town of Roskilde from hostile attack - probably from Norwegian Vikings, who were then harassing the Danish coasts.

In 1962 the blockage was drained and the ships brought to the surface. Although they had broken into thousands of pieces they were found consist of an ocean-going freighter for trading with England, Iceland and Greenland, about 16.5m/54ft long; a trading vessel 13.3m/44ft long, used in the Baltic, the North Sea and on rivers - this was crewed by a maximum of six men and carried cargo stowed amidships; a warship some 18m/59ft long, for sails or 24 oarsmen; a ferry-boat, about 12m/38ft long, which was also used for fishing; and finally a longship so long - some 28m/92ft - that at first it was believed to be two vessels. The last was the dreaded Viking man-of-war, seaworthy and yet easily beached, fast and maneuverable in battle. Then began the task of piecing together and restoring the ships. Although the Viking ships of Roskilde are of little significance to specialist archaeologists they are of great interest from a purely historical and artistic point of view.

There is a cinema in the museum where films are shown daily about the recovery of the ships (commentary also in English). A permanent exhibition provides the visitor with information about the Vikings, the construction of the ships and sub-aqua archaeology.