Viking Museum (Vikingemuseet)
Sankt Clemens Torv 6, Aarhus, Denmark, 8000
Step beneath the Nordea Bank and travel back 1,200 years at the tiny but excellent Viking Museum (Vikingemuseet) in Aarhus, part of the larger Moesgaard Museum. Aarhus sits on the remains of Aros, the ancient Viking-founded town hidden beneath the modern streets. This one-room multimedia exhibition delves into the evolution of the Viking settlement over the past millennium with a collection of excavated artifacts and a model city.
The basics
Set on the same square as the city’s cathedral and theater, this pocket-sized museum is an ideal stop before an Aarhus walking or bike tour. It takes less than an hour to cover its single underground exhibition hall, which is stuffed with original and replica artifacts, video and printed exhibits, a copy of the Hørningstenen rune stone, and a model city of ancient Aros in the 8th century, leaving plenty of time to sightsee on your own.
Things to know before you go
The Viking Museum (Vikingemuseet)’s compact size and kid-friendly exhibits—including the replica Viking dwelling—make it a great stop for families.
Printed information and recorded narration are translated into English.
History buffs can arrange a guided tour of the exhibit with museum staff by contacting the parent Moesgaard Museum.
Stairs at the entrance make this museum inaccessible for visitors in wheelchairs.
How to get there
The Viking Museum is on Bispetorvet (Bishop's Square) just steps from the Aarhus Theater and Aarhus Cathedral (Aarhus Domkirke) in the heart of the city. Tucked beneath the Nordea Bank building—on the site where many of its artifacts were excavated—you can reach the museum from most of the city’s attractions on foot or using the local bus system.
When to get there
There are no museum staff so you buy tickets from a machine at the entrance and explore independently. However, Moesgaard Museum personnel stop by to open the museum daily at 10:15am and close it at 6pm on weekdays and 7pm on weekends. This is a great stop for a rainy day or to fill in some time before or after a city tour.
Archaeological treasures at the Aarhus Moesgaard Museum
The Viking Museum in Aarhus is an extension of the Moesgaard Museum, a world-class archaeological and ethnographic collection located in a striking contemporary complex just south of the city. Highlights include life-sized models of seven hominids, a VR experience in a Stone Age hunting room, Viking-age rune stones, the well-preserved remains of an original Viking ship, and a multimedia Iron Age battle that sets you in the middle of the action.
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