Longest Viking ship replica ready for spring launch at the Roskilde Viking Ship Museum

On April 9, the 30-meter-long Viking ship Havhingsten (en. the Sea Stallion) will return to the water after a long winter on land. 

The ship will be put into the water through manual labor and raw muscle strength – an impressive sight that the guests at the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde can enjoy on Saturday, April 9, from around 1 PM.

Havhingsten is the longest reconstructed Viking ship in the world.

Everything to be done by hand

No machines will be used to return the ship to the water – the 30-meter-long ship that weighs 8 tonnes will be pulled and pushed into place by volunteers, according to the Viking Herald.

“We can only do this with joint help and raw muscle power,” Tom Nicolaisen, responsible for coordinating the Viking Ship Museum’s volunteers, said.

“The ship is placed in a wooden ‘rail’ lubricated with beef tallow. That makes the ship glide more easily”.

However, it will still take a lot of effort to get the ship into the water. The volunteers will have to stand close – shoulder to shoulder – and lift the ship.

“It’s always a bit exciting, so you’re always happy when you succeed. It’s a big ship, and there are a lot of people who have to work together to be able to move the ship. This is really about lifting in unison,” Nicolaisen added.

The Easter activities in the museum

On April 9, the museum will start many Easter activities. This year, the theme is “Feel the past…”. Children and adults are invited to follow in the archaeologists’ footsteps to get up and close to the past.

In the ancient workshop, guests will be able to analyze a skeleton, and in the archaeologists’ laboratory, they will get to see and touch some of the objects that the museum’s marine archaeologists have excavated from the seabed around Denmark.

The holiday activities last up to Monday, April 18, and the program also offers, among other things, family tours and baking flatbread over a campfire.

Note: The picture used is for illustration purposes only.

Source: #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayTravel

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