Viking Ship Museum

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, Zealand, is a maritime museum founded in 1969 that displays original Viking Age ships and full-size reconstructions. It is built on the shore of Roskilde Fjord and focuses on ship finds from local underwater excavations.

The museum presents the five original Skuldelev ships recovered from the fjord in 1962, shown in a large boat hall with conservation displays and interpretive panels. There is an active boatyard where staff and volunteers build and maintain wooden reconstructions, including the full-scale Sea Stallion replica launched in 2004. Short sailings from the museum harbour, hands-on demonstrations and educational workshops are available in the main visitor season.

The museum was established to conserve and display the ships and other finds recovered during underwater excavations in the early 1960s. Over time it expanded from a collection-focused exhibition to include a working boatyard and operational replicas used for experimental archaeology and public sails.

Situated in Roskilde on the northern shore of Roskilde Fjord, the museum lies roughly 30 km west of central Copenhagen and is adjacent to the maritime landscape where the original ships were found.

• Best time to go: Seasonal sailing trips and boat-handling demonstrations run mainly in late spring to early autumn, when weather and water conditions are best for short excursions on Roskilde Fjord.
• Core collection: The core collection are the Skuldelev ships, excavated from Roskilde Fjord in 1962 and forming a central reference for Viking Age ship technology.

What to See #

• Skuldelev ships exhibition: Houses the five original Skuldelev ships recovered from Roskilde Fjord in 1962 and presents them in a purpose-built exhibition hall with conservation displays.
• Boatyard and reconstruction hall: Runs an on-site boatyard and reconstruction workshop that builds full-size wooden replicas; the museum led the construction of the full-scale replica "Sea Stallion" based on Skuldelev 2 and launched in 2004.
• Harbour and sailing program: Works from the museum sail from the harbour on Roskilde Fjord and it operates seasonal short sailings and longer traditional-vessel trips for visitors.