The Viking sites Haithabu and Danevirke in northern Germany are part of the world heritage of mankind. This was decided by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at its meeting in Bahrain.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/G. Wendt
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A thousand years ago, the "wild hordes from the north" terrified the whole of Europe. Now the Vikings have won the 43rd UNESCO World Heritage title for Germany, without the use of axe and sword.
The site was added by the UNESCO committee meeting in Manama, Bahrain on Saturday.
The Archaeological Border Landscape of Hedeby and the Danevirke is the 43rd World Heritage List site to be inscribed in Germany, which already has 39 cultural sites and 3 natural sites on the list.
Haithabu: a window to the Viking Age
In 1897, the old Viking town of Haithabu was discovered in Schleswig in northern Germany. The excavations began in 1900 and continue to this day. The importance of this site is becoming increasingly apparent: It was the most important long-distance trading center in northern Europe. Here all important routes converged, as well as people from different origins: Frisians, Danes, Saxons, Slavs, even traders from far away Byzantium.
The Vikings settled on the banks of the river Schlei and set sail from hereImage: Landesmuseen Schloss Gottorf
The hordes from the north
From the 9th to 11th century, the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians were called Vikings by the rest of Europe. The name probably derives from the Old Norse verb "vikingr," which means robbing or looting.The Vikings were not a uniform people, they belonged to different tribes in Scandinavia. They joined together in loose alliances in order to make fast prey in central and southern Europe and to find new settlements. They blitzed onto coasts and shores with their agile ships. Armed to the teeth, they conquered villages, plundered monasteries and burned down what they could not take with them. Vikings was the name given to them by the people who were attacked. They saw the Nordic warriors as a terrible invasion.
On the trail of the Vikings in Europe
The Vikings were conquerors and explorers, traders and artisans, both famed and feared. They came from Norway, Sweden and Denmark and left traces of their presence in many places in Europe.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Pfeiffer
Jelling, Denmark
In Denmark, one of the three countries where the Vikings originated, their legacy is abundantly represented. The rune stones found in Jelling are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They mention Denmark for the first time, which is why they are considered the country's birth certificate. The Vikings had their own alphabet based on the Germanic runic script.
Image: picture-alliance/Dumont/G. Haenel
Trelleborg, Sweden
30 years ago, archaeologists in the southern Swedish town of Trelleborg discovered the traces of a massive Viking castle: 125 metres in diameter, crossed by four roads and surrounded by high palisade walls. The circular fortress was built for the Viking king Sweyn Forkbeard, son of Harald Bluetooth.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/W. Hollweg
Stockholm, Sweden
The Vikingaliv Viking museum, which opened in Stockholm in 2017, presents the latest research findings. Among other things, it dispels the myth that Vikings had worn helmets with side horns. In fact, their helmets were conical, made of hard leather with wood and metal reinforcements or of iron with mask and chain mail. Horns would have been a nuisance in battle.
Image: picture-alliance/IBL Schweden/K. Törnblom
Oslo, Norway
The Vikings were expert seafarers. Their longboats were narrow, light, fast and flat. So they were able to moor directly at the beach, which was very practical during a raid. In the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, well preserved examples can be seen. The ships date from the 9th century and were found in three large chieftain's graves.
Image: picture-alliance/akg/Bildarchiv Steffens
London, Great Britain
The Viking era in England began in 793 AD with the violent raid on Lindisfarne monastery. It ended in 1066 with the Battle at Stamford Bridge, just weeks before the Normans invaded England and defeated the weakened English army at the Battle of Hastings. The British Museum in London owns one of the most valuable Viking hoards ever found on English soil. This gilt silver vessel is part of it.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives
Reykjavik, Iceland
The Vikings sailed as far as Iceland and settled the island between 870 and 930 AD. The Norwegian Viking Ingólfur Arnarson built his homestead in the southwest of the island. He gave the area the name that Iceland's capital still bears, Reykjavik (Smoky Bay). Nowadays there is a bronze statue of Ingólfur in Reykjavik. Another stands where he first set out from at Dalsfjord in Norway.
Ireland also became part of the large trading network of the Vikings. They founded the first towns on the Emerald Isle, including Limerick, Cork, Waterford and the capital Dublin. The Viking Age in Ireland ended in 1014 with the Battle of Clontarf, now a suburb of Dublin. These days the tourist buses in the shape of Viking longboats remind us of those rough ancestors.
Image: picture-alliance/Bildagentur-online
Rügen, Germany
In April 2018, a 13-year-old keen hobby explorer discovered a silver treasure dating from the time of the Viking and Danish king Harald Bluetooth in the middle of a field. Harald converted the Vikings to Christianity. Previously they had worshiped Nordic gods such as Odin and Thor in the belief that those who died bravely in battle would rest in Valhalla, a splendid hall of fame in Odin's castle.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Sauer
Danevirke, Germany
Germany is also home to the largest landmark from the Viking era, the Danevirke. The main gateway through the ramparts once formed the border between central Europe and Scandinavia. The system of fortifications consisting of walls and ramparts also served to protect the Viking settlement of Haithabu.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Rehder
Viking Museum Haithabu, Germany
How did people live a thousand years ago? In seven replicas of Viking houses, visitors can get a glimpse into the Vikings' daily lives. The museum in Schleswig-Holstein shows nearly 4,000 original finds, among them jewelry, clothing, tools and weapons. From Haithabu, which at times boasted as many as 2000 inhabitants, the Vikings traded with what was then the entire known world.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Rehder
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One of the world's largest Viking settlements
In the eighth century, it was probably Frisian merchants who settled on the Schlei, a 40-kilometer-long (25-mile-long) navigable branch of the Baltic Sea. Danes and other Scandinavians followed. They gave the new settlement the name Haithabu, which is composed of the two Old Norse words "Heide" which means heath and "Hof," the German for yard. The people of the "heath yard" built a harbor, streets, houses and ramparts. In its heyday, the town counted 1,500 to 2,000 people. Some lived from trade, others from plunder. From Haithabu, the fully loaded merchant ships took goods as far as Constantinople or Baghdad. But the Vikings also set sail from here on the fast, slim war boats with which they went on their raids.
Even the mighty walls of the Danevirke could not save Haithabu from destructionImage: picture-alliance/akg/Bildarchiv Steffens
Danevirke: the Vikings' protective wall
Near Haithabu, the Danish kings built a mighty border fortification to secure the southern border of their empire and the trading city of Haithabu. The Danevirke consisted of earth mounds, walls, ditches and a barrier in the river Schlei. The Danevirke is 33 kilometers long and is considered the largest surface monument in northern Europe.
In the end, it was of no use at all: after surviving many attacks, the city was destroyed in 1066 in an attack by Slavic troops. Haithabu's history ended after only 300 years.
An archaeological treasure trove
Archaeologists have been digging around Haithabu for over 100 years, but to date only about five percent of the settlement and port have been uncovered. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in northern Europe. A museum displays the precious finds, such as gold jewelry from a woman's grave. In addition, various settlement houses have been reconstructed so that visitors can see how the Vikings lived and worked.
Golden tomb gifts from the 10th centuryImage: picture alliance/dpa/C. Rehder
World Heritage recognition for Haithabu and Danewerk
The reputation of the Vikings as dreaded, merciless warriors has lasted to this day. But Haithabu and Danevirke also tell the other side of the story: that of successful merchants who pursued trade and craftsmanship at the highest level. Now Haithabu and Danevirke have been included in the World Heritage List of mankind at the UNESCO Annual Conference in Barhain. It's the 43rd title for Germany.
