Trelleborg Viking Fortress, Denmark

An increasing number of people from Denmark and abroad visit Trelleborg Viking Fortress, with visitor numbers between 60,000 and 80,000 every year. This is the best-fortified fortress among the ring fortresses from Viking-Age Denmark and the fortress shows clear evidence of attack.

Trelleborg was built in 980, during the reign of King Harald Bluetooth. The fortress was excavated 1934-42 and revealed 31 houses and thousands of artefacts as well as the remains of the large, circular-shaped fortress.

The ring fortress represents one of the most remarkable monuments from the Viking Age. With its monumental character and uniform geometric construction, it reflects a highly-developed technical expertise and organisational manifestation.

Visiting Trelleborg and the Museum

When visiting Trelleborg and the museum, a full-size reconstruction of a Trelleborg-type longhouse can be experienced as you approach. Most of the artefacts from the excavations are on display in the museum. They, together with display panels, tell of the Vikings and the Viking Age in Denmark, Scandinavia and abroad.

Among the many artefacts which reflect everyday life at the fortress is the only preserved Viking shield ever found in Denmark. The shield is 85cm in diameter and was discovered only 40 metres from the fortress’s southern gate.

Trelleborg Viking Fortress offers a wide variety of dissemination and education programmes with a range of activities ‘on location’ where Vikings lived and fought more than 1,000 years ago. For kindergartens, school children, high schools and university students a variety of education programmes are also provided.

You can visit the Viking village, Slagløse, and become “Viking for a day”, trying exciting activities such as archery using the Viking longbows, baking delicious flatbread, casting copies of a genuine Viking pendant, training as real Viking warriors and much more.

During the season, visitors can also experience different workshops and the fantastic Viking Festival in July. Here you can enjoy breathtaking displays of Icelandic horses, watch talented Viking craftsmen and participate in live demonstrations and exciting hands-on activities. For nine days, more than 1,200 Vikings – warriors, craftsmen, traders, Viking families and entertainers – camp and live on the museum site. During the last four days visitors can experience the Great Battle of Trelleborg, with about 250 warriors battling for honour and glory.

A large group of re-enactors and volunteers immerse themselves in the Viking Age and become part of the life of the Museum and the Viking village of Slagløse. They participate in many events and activities that also help to develop their skills concerning crafts and the Viking life style.