I spent every summer of my childhood visiting museums, castles, and heritage sites with my family. My parents actually met doing historical re-enactment and they wanted to pass their love of history on to us. It might just be Stockholm syndrome (in this metaphor, history is the captor; my family are the hostages) but they were successful – both myself and my younger brother are in our final year of history degrees. In fact, we both specialise in medieval history, specifically the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, the period that my parents were re-enacting.

Last year, I had the chance to accompany my brother on a two-week trip to Scandinavia that he was taking with funding from his university as research for his dissertation, visiting Oslo, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Copenhagen. So, if you find yourself in any of these cities, here are my recommendations for the best places to explore the incredible history of the Vikings – hopefully I can share my love of history with you, as my parents did with me and my brother!

The first stop on our trip was Oslo. Part of the University of Oslo, the Historical Museum is filled with fascinating exhibitions and is the perfect way to spend an afternoon hiding from the cold and the snow. In particular, you can’t miss the VÍKINGR exhibition.[1] Balancing the typical depiction of Vikings as warriors with their role as explorers and traders, it shows the changes that the meeting of new cultures brought to Viking society. The highlights are the restoration of the Gjermundbu helmet, one of only five known surviving Viking helmets, and the Langeid sword, found in a pre-Christian Viking grave, yet decorated with Christian symbols. The temporary exhibitions are just as special. During our visit, the exhibition was “Fabulous Animals – From the Iron Age to the Vikings”[2], exploring the importance of animals and their relationship with humans in pre-Christian Scandinavia, through their depiction in intricate goldwork and jewellery.

It is likely that many of the objects from the Historical Museum will find their new home at the Museum of the Viking Age, previously the Viking Ship Museum, which is also part of the University of Oslo. Reopening in 2027, I have been waiting (impatiently) to be able to visit this museum as, amongst their collection of more than 50,000 Viking Age objects, is the incredible Oseberg ship – a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a burial mound.[3]

To be continued…