Viking Shipyards

Unfortunately, a real Viking shipyard has yet to be discovered. This could teach us how the Vikings actually went about building their impressive ships. We might eventually learn what tools were used, were the materials all local etc.

Archaeological excavations have however revealed several places where ships have been repaired. One such a place is the site Paviken on the island of Gotland. Here traces of a "dry dock" have been found, where the ships could be repaired, with numerous rivets and tools.

One particularly interesting place which is being studied is the Fribrodre River on Eastern Island of Falster. Many fragments of the timbers of ships suggest that this was a breaking yard for older ships. This site appears to have been a place where ships could be repaired with the materials from older broken up ships.

The site is situated in far eastern Denmark near the Baltic south coast. This is an area with distinctive Slavic influences. These Slavic influences are also visible at the Fribrodre River site. There is evidence of wooden dowels to attach the planks of the ship. The use of wooden dowels was a method favoured by the Slavic shipbuilders. The Scandinavian shipbuilders favoured the use of clench nails to attach the planks.

Several boats which have been found show a mix of Scandinavian and Slavic shipbuilding technology. This shows nothing more than two peoples had contact with each other.

Learn More about Denmark
Roskilde Viking Ship Museum
Viking Ships and Shipbuilding
Viking Longships
Cleanliness - Did Vikings Take Baths?
Copenhagen (København), Denmark
Danish Food and Danish Recipes