Vikingemuseet

About the museum

When an office building was being constructed at Skt. Clemens Torv in 1963/64, archaeologists from Moesgaard examined the building site. In doing so they came across the first clear traces of Viking Age Aros, the predecessor settlement of Aarhus: remains of small sunken-floor houses, a plank road at the foot of the ring rampart, numerous finds and parts of a human skeleton.

After the excavations, the Vikingemuseet was set up in 1968 in the basement of the new building – today a branch of Nordea bank. It lies exactly where the finds were made and belongs organizationally to Moesgaard; it is funded by the city of Aarhus and Nordea. In 2008 the museum was redesigned.

The exhibition "Vikingernes Aros" shows the fortified town around the year 980, in the time of Harald Bluetooth. A staircase leads three meters down through the layers of centuries of urban life to the Viking Age level. There, the floor plans of four sunken-floor houses are marked on the floor, with the finds from each house lying in display cases beside them. A screen depicts an attack on the town, and further stations tell of trade on the river and of the building of the rampart, which Gorm the Old had built after 934 and Harald Bluetooth later had reinforced.

Highlights

• Exhibition at the original find site, three meters below present-day street level
• Staircase through the cultural layers with years marked on the steps
• Floor plans of four sunken-floor houses with their finds
• Parts of a human skeleton from the Viking Age
• Depiction of the ring rampart of Aros

Permanent exhibitions

• Vikingernes Aros – At the excavation site, the exhibition shows what the fortified Viking town of Aros looked like around 980 – with house floor plans, finds and an animation of an attack on the town.

Founded

1968

Operated by

Moesgaard

Admission & discounts

Payment on site by card only.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is in the basement beneath the Nordea bank and can only be reached by stairs; it is therefore not suitable for wheelchair users or people with mobility impairments.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Getting there & parking

In the middle of downtown at Skt. Clemens Torv in the basement of the Nordea branch (entrance "Under Nordea"). The museum provides no information of its own on public transport and parking.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit