IN THE VIKINGS’ WAKE
The charming city of Roskilde is half an hour by train from Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen. Situated on the island of Zealand at the head of Roskilde Fjord, Roskilde was supposedly founded in the 980s by Harald Bluetooth.
It is one of Denmark’s oldest cities and was the seat of the Danish kings before the capital was moved to Copenhagen in 1443. Thirty-nine Danish monarchs are entombed in Roskilde’s UNESCO-listed 13th Century Gothic cathedral and its Victorian railway station, completed in 1847, is the oldest still operational in Denmark.
Like so many visitors, Megan and I took the train to Roskilde to visit the city’s famed Viking Ship Museum. The weather was pleasant, so walking the couple of kilometres from the railway station on the hill to the museum beside the water was no hardship. The route is well-signposted, the attractive suburban streets are nicely kept, and the descent is gentle. Other transport options include bus and private car.
The museum overlooking the inlet was built in 1969 to house the remains of five 11 Century Viking ships excavated from the fjord at Skuldelev in 1962. The main building contains the original Skuldelev ships, but.
