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Viking houses | |
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Click on pictures for enlargements
Map over the Viking centre
The fires created a nice atmosphere both outside and in the Viking houses
Rodeborg interior
Chieftain seat
Chieftain bedroom
Bed & Breakfast family room
Field labyrinth
Axe-throwing target
The Helga Chapel
Interiors from the chapel
The dwelling house
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In the smoky dusk of the Viking house The Viking women stayed home and took care of the household while
the men were out conquering. The children, the elderly and the slaves
helped keeping house during the long winters. The wife had all the keys
to the In wintertime, the Vikings were rather isolated in their houses. The fireplace was placed in the middle, above it the bread was baked, the meat was smoked and the porridge was cooked. It gave light and warmth.
Reconstructed houses and ancient relics in the Rosala Viking Centre
The
Chieftain Hall was the most important building in a Viking village. That
was the place where the chieftain lived and where everyone gathered to
practice the Viking cult. The entrance led to the hall, or main room.
Along the sides of the hall ran a bank of earth that served as a
sleeping place at night and a bench by day. Near the center of the hall
lay a clay-covered heartstone, where a fire burned all day. The
chieftain hall Rodeborg now stands ready to welcome modern Vikings for Viking
Age feasts and See drawings of the exterior and interior, and a 360º virtual picture. The
two small rooms are rented for couples and families Jetty and tent place The
jetty shows how the ground has risen since the Viking age. A thousand
years ago the water was ca. 4 meters higher than today. Behind the jetty
there is an ancient tent place. Sacrifice
altar, runes
and bordering stones on a grave There
are no original sacrifice altars left today, since they were all
destroyed along with the arrival of Christianity. On the other hand
there are lots of grave findings. The dead and his personal belongings
were laid within the bordering stones and covered with stones and
sometimes even soil. Archeological
test site with tools The
layers of sand and dirt above the findings are very thin in the
archipelago. Most artifacts from the Kyrksundet site were found only 10-20 cm
below the ground. A dragon's nest According
to legend, a dragon's nest is a hidden treasure guarded by a
dragon. You could see fire in the nest at night and smoke in the daytime.
Digging up a dragon's nest was said to be life threatening. Field labyrinth and axe-throwing
target
Field
labyrinths have been built in Scandinavia for 2000 years. There are 8
known labyrinths in the Hitis archipelago. In the prehistoric time, the
labyrinths were used as fertility rites or for wishing the men good luck
with hunting or fishing. In modern time, they have been used for dancing
and playing in. In
order to train their skills in axe-throwing the Vikings practiced and
competed with a target on a wall. The Helga Chapel Christianity
came to the Nordic countries during the Viking age and in the 11th
century chapels and churches started to rise. The
Helga
Chapel is a Catholic chapel with a Maria-altar and an altar picture
showing the majestic Christ on His throne in heaven. Smithy The blacksmiths made knives, nails etc. In bright
sunlight it was difficult to distinguish the different color nuances of
the iron, so the smithy's door never faced south. Sacrificial stone A
large amount of sacrificial stones have been found in the region of
Turku. They were carved and used for sacrificial The dwelling house Farmansgården Farmansgården
is the dwelling house of a merchant. The
merchants made long trips to
sell their products in foreign markets. Both their family and the slaves
lived under the same roof. They slept on the solid tree benches. The
fireplace had no chimney, the smoke got out through a hole in the roof.
The smell of the fireplace was very distinctive for a Viking age house.
Booking and inquiries Rosala Viking Centre Ltd Reimarsvägen 5 25950 Rosala, Finland Phone +358-2-4667227 Fax +358-2-4667228
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