Where is the Viking village?

It's so nice sometimes to go away from the modern noisy city with its crazy rhythm of life and touch something ancient and calm, breathing peace! There are many places on our planet where people, abandoning life in megacities, created or recreated small islands of different ancient epochs, and live in these settlements. Such places become real meccas for tourists, hunters to various curiosities and jaded by usual excursions.

Interest after a thousand years

But the history of the ancient Scandinavian people - Vikings - attracts the special attention of modern mankind with its originality, mythology, culture. Such modern archaeological sights are many, and they are quite different in nature, but the most famous are: the village of Borg, located on the Lofoten Islands (Norway); The Viking village of Svengard, near Vyborg (Russia); And the Viking village in Tallinn (Estonia). In addition, a large number of festivals of historical reconstruction, which recreate the life and traditions of the Scandinavian people. The most popular among these is the festival "Legends of the Norwegian Vikings", which is held every year in St. Petersburg.

The homeland of the Scandinavian warlike people

The real Viking village, called the Lofotr Museum, was reconstructed in the Borg settlement, which is located near Böstad in Vestvøy in Norway. It is based on archaeological excavations in Nur-Norg, which is on the archipelago of Lofoten. The museum itself was opened in 1995 and consists of a king, whose length is 83 meters, a smithy and a real ship of brave navigators of the Middle Ages - Drakkar. For tourists, guests can also enjoy entertainment for guests and real Viking cuisine, as well as staging their lives. The museum shows a film about Vikings, and tourists can buy themselves a memorabilia at a local souvenir shop. On the territory there is a real farm with horses, cows and other animals. But not only is this famous for the Borg. Every year the Viking Festival is held here, where designers from all over Europe and not only gather.

Viking village near Vyborg

Russia is a huge country, with an ancient rich history, so a large number of different fortresses, ruins, historical monuments and other archaeological sites are scattered throughout its territory. In the Leningrad region, 16 kilometers from the ancient city of Vyborg, on the ninth kilometer of Svetogorskoye highway, along the A 124 highway, there is a unique reserve of historical and cultural significance - Svargas Manor, better known as Viking Village Svengard (or Svargas). Both names are relevant. The word "svargas" has Indo-European roots and is translated into Russian as "the sunny sky". This object is a "living history", because it is a real inhabited settlement, a model of a princely manor of the eleventh century in full size. This is a project of experimental archeology, as the creators call it, which was created by the historical and cultural center "Varjazhsky Dvor" in 2005-2008.

A unique project of "living history"

Despite the fact that the settlement is known as the Village of the Vikings, Svargas, according to one of the founders of Alexei Dudin, or Sven, as it is called, is a model for the reconstruction not only of Scandinavian culture, but also Slavic and Finnish. In the estate, everything is really real, and almost like a millennium ago - there is no water supply, electricity and other benefits of civilization. That's only instead of the home of that era - the furnace with pipes.

Despite the fact that there is very little reliable information about those times, the Svengarde recreated the life of the Middle Ages as accurately as possible. Authentic technologies were used for the construction. Each visitor to the estate can touch the deep antiquity, even feel its smell and taste, after tasteing original dishes, to see how the life of the Vikings in ancient times was arranged. You can even plunge into the secrets of crafts, not only watch, but also try to create something yourself. There is also a unique opportunity to see how weapons and armor of those times were created. And, of course, any person can for some time feel like a real Viking, dressed in chain mail, fighting swords, shooting arrows and overcoming the obstacles prepared by the villagers. This is a great option for relaxation both with friends and with the family, children get fantastic experiences.

Recreation and Recreation Center in Estonia

In the very picturesque place of Estonia under the name Saula, on the bank of the Pirita River, since 2005 another Viking Village has settled down. Tallinn is located almost 30 kilometers along the Tartu highway from this entertainment center with a historical bias. If the Vyborg Viking village is rather a pilot project of so-called living archeology, then its Estonian counterpart was created precisely for recreation and entertainment of tourists. Despite this, the owners of this small town tried their best, recreating an excellent model of the medieval settlement of the Scandinavian people. Tourists, if desired, can stay here for the night, for this there are separate rooms. True, the bathroom and shower in them are still modern, albeit stylized in the old days. The tavern feeds any starving traveler from 11 am to 10 pm. There are plenty of entertainment for tourists.

Discover the Viking

Each member of the family in this wonderful village can find entertainment to your liking. For example, you can try to become a real warrior: to shoot from a bow at targets, to throw an ax like a real Viking, you can also take part in competitions of medieval warriors and in capturing an ancient settlement, a historical and entertainment event for all ages. The village of Vikings provides an opportunity to go fishing and catch a trout for lunch from a local pond, which the chef can cook on the grill. In addition to the 150-year-old Estonian bath in the village of the Vikings, there is also an amazing cave bath that, according to ancient beliefs, will help heal the soul and body, and also save from evil spirits. Thematic games are held before the bath procedures.

For tourists, a unique entertainment program, including ancient dances, songs and games, is also thought through. And just 10 minutes walk from the village there are unique Estonian Saulak Blue Springs. This beautiful nature reserve is famous for its delightful scenery, crystal clear spring water, which becomes curative if the traveler conducts a special ritual that the local guide will gladly tell.

Petropavlovka. Viking Village and Festival of Historical Reconstruction

For 6 years in a row at the end of May in St. Petersburg on the shore of the Kronverkskiy Strait near the Peter and Paul Fortress there is a festival of military historical reconstruction "Legend of the Norwegian Vikings". The format is "living history". The festival became popular not only on the territory of Russia, but also all over the CIS. A real Viking village unfolds on Zayachiy Island every year. The Peter and Paul Fortress this year even hosted the descendants of real Vikings from Norway, who sailed on the real Drakkar straight from the Lofoten Islands. Konung, the leader of the Vikings, along with his retinue, were honored guests at this year's festival. They surprised spectators and participants with their rites, and also debunked many myths about their glorious ancestors. Norwegians told about the intricacies of cooking in the Middle Ages, the hygiene of the Vikings, their way of life and customs.

Recreation and entertainment

In general, in this medieval settlement, nearly 300 representatives of the best military-historical clubs from all over the country, as well as thousands of guests, have already gathered for 6 consecutive years. The battle of drums and sounds of the battle horn become an accompaniment of large-scale reconnaissance battles, in which more than one hundred of the best warriors participate. The equipment of the fighters is made in the spirit of the times, the armor is almost identical to the present. Swords, axes, helmets, chain mail look very realistic. Reconstructors recreate, albeit for a short while, the true atmosphere of the Middle Ages: marching tents, craftsmen's tents and merchants' shops, as well as a real battlefield - everything is in the true spirit of the Scandinavian people.

In addition to direct fighting, the Viking village amazes modern people with its curiosities. There you can find out how the Vikings forged their weapons and created armor, how they crafted bows and arrows to them, as coins were minted. Well, commercial shops will impress with their variety of handmade goods, there are replicas of real copper, silver and iron ornaments of the Viking times, and a variety of products made of clay, wood, glass and leather, as well as military armor and weapons. In addition to purchasing any goods, the guest will also hear a historical reference about him. At the festival, even children will not be bored, because they are provided with special interactive entertainment in the Viking style.