Built in 1628, the Vasa, decorated with hundreds of wooden statues, was supposed to show the power of Sweden’s king. Instead, the top-heavy ship capsized and sank on its maiden voyage. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli / Rick Steves’ Europe)

Built in 1628, the Vasa, decorated with hundreds of wooden statues, was supposed to show the power of Sweden’s king. Instead, the top-heavy ship capsized and sank on its maiden voyage. (Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli / Rick Steves’ Europe)

Wrecks, rafts and replicas: Scandinavia’s remarkable maritime museums

Scandinavia’s Viking days may be long gone, but its legacy of maritime exploration (and plunder) continues to capture our imagination. Tap into the region’s seafaring heritage by visiting excellent museums in Stockholm, Oslo, and just outside Copenhagen.

Scandinavia’s entrance into civilized Europe was swift and dramatic. On June 8, 793, a fleet of pirates came ashore on the northeast coast of England and sacked the Lindisfarne monastery, slaughtering monks, burning buildings and looting sacred objects. Their victims called them Normanni, Dani, Rus, or worse, but the name they gave themselves came from the inlets and bays (vik) where they lived: the Vikings.

Strategically located along one such Danish inlet is Roskilde, about 30 minutes from Copenhagen — home to Denmark’s Viking Ship Museum. Here, you’ll see a ship like the one Leif Eriksson took to America a thousand years ago, two longships, a wind-powered coastal trader and a small row/sail hybrid that was used for whaling and hunting seals. These ships were deliberately sunk a thousand years ago to block the entrance to this strategic and rich city, and finally raised from their salty grave in 1962.

Along with the ships inside, outside you can watch the creation of replica Viking ships — and for less than $20, sail around Roskilde’s fjord in one of these replicas.

In Norway you’ll find another Viking Ship Museum, along with three more nautical museums, clustered in Bygdoy, a park-like peninsula just across the harbor from downtown Oslo. This fine museum shows off two finely crafted, majestic oak Viking ships dating from the ninth and 10th centuries, and the scant remains of a third vessel — icons from those days of pillage and plunder. You’ll also see remarkable artifacts that give insight into Viking culture, including a horse cart and sleighs ornately carved with scenes from Viking sagas.

The adjacent Fram Museum holds the 125-foot, steam- and sail-powered ship that took modern-day “Vikings” Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen deep into the Arctic and Antarctic, farther north and south than any vessel had gone before. The Fram was well equipped with instruments that enabled the explorers to bring back important new data from the polar frontiers. In an adjacent A-frame is Amundsen’s Gjoa, the first ship to sail through the Northwest Passage. Together, the exhibit spins a fascinating tale of adventure, scientific exploration and human determination … all at subzero temperatures.

The Kon-Tiki Museum next door houses two ships built by the larger-than-life anthropologist, seafarer and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. In 1947, the Norwegian explorer and his crew constructed the Kon-Tiki raft out of bamboo and balsa wood. They set sail from Peru on the crude and fragile craft, surviving for 101 days on fish, coconuts and sweet potatoes. About 5,000 miles later, they landed in Polynesia. The point of this expedition was to show that early South Americans could have settled Polynesia. (While Heyerdahl proved they could have, anthropologists doubt they actually did.) In 1970, Heyerdahl’s Ra II made a similar 4,000-mile journey from Morocco to Barbados — on a vessel made of reeds — to prove that Africans could have populated the Americas.

Also in Bygdoy, the Norwegian Maritime Museum gives wide-ranging look at Norway’s maritime heritage through exhibits, art and a panoramic film soaring over Norway’s long and varied coastline.

In Stockholm, the Vasa Museum is my favorite maritime museum anywhere, with the chemically petrified, ultimate warship housed in a state-of-the-art museum. This impressive ship sank just minutes into her maiden voyage.

It was 1628 and the Swedish king was eager to expand the reach of his domain with a formidable new ship. Unfortunately, his demands to build the ship 172 feet tall, but narrow and laden with an extra row of cannon, made it extremely unstable. As it sailed out, all the sailors went to one side on this top-heavy boat, waved at their loved ones … and about 1,000 yards into the voyage the most expensive ship in Europe tipped over and sank to the bottom of Stockholm’s harbor, where it sat in the mud for over 300 years. In 1961, with the help of steel cables and huge inflatable pontoons, the Vasa rose again from the deep.

Detailed models show life on board and evoke the instant when the hopes and aspirations of this mighty ship and her crew were dashed. Artifacts on display humanize naval life in the 17th century. This awe-inspiring ship is a time capsule from an era when Sweden was a European power and was gearing up to expand its empire.

The Vasa may have been a flop, but there’s no doubt of about the seafaring strength of the Scandinavians. From the Vikings to intrepid Arctic explorers and daring Heyerdahl and his Kon-Tiki, don’t miss the opportunity to delve into the fascinating maritime history as you visit Scandinavia’s great cities.

— Tribune Content Agency

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

A stroll on Rome's ancient Appian Way is a kind of time travel. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves on the Appian Way, Rome’s ancient superhighway

Twenty-nine highways fanned out from Rome, but this one was the first and remains the most legendary.

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Inside Elle Marie Hair Studio in Smokey Point. (Provided by Acacia Delzer)
The best hair salon in Snohomish County

You voted, we tallied. Here are the results.

The 2024 Kia EV9 electric SUV has room for up to six or seven passengers, depending on seat configuration. (Photo provided by Kia)
Kia’s all-new EV9 electric SUV occupies rarified air

Roomy three-row electric SUVs priced below 60 grand are scarce.

2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD (Photo provided by Toyota)
2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime XSE Premium AWD

The compact SUV electric vehicle offers customers the ultimate flexibility for getting around town in zero emission EV mode or road-tripping in hybrid mode with a range of 440 miles and 42 mile per gallon fuel economy.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.