About the Ribe Viking Museum
The history of the oldest city in the Nordics - yes, vikings
Around 700 AD, long before Denmark became a unified kingdom, Ribe emerged as a trading town on the edge of the North Sea, and for the next 800 years it played a central role in the Viking world and the history of early Denmark.
The Ribe Vikings Museum tells the story of Ribe's origins and development through the Viking Age and the Middle Ages. Based on Museum West's archaeological research, the Ribe Vikings Museum conveys the changing roles of the city and the stories of the people who lived and worked here.
Beneath the streets of Ribe lie exceptionally well-preserved cultural layers that document more than 1,300 years of history. The many archaeological finds, of which more than 14,000 are on display at the Ribe Vikings Museum, make the city one of the most important archaeological reference points in the Nordic region and form the basis of the museum's narrative.
The exhibitions give you an insight into everyday life, trade, craftsmanship and faith, and showcase Ribe as a city with close connections to the world around the North Sea and the rest of Europe. Original objects and eye-level communication bring the past up close.
The Ribe Vikings Museum is for both children and adults, for history buffs and for those who want a good story and a good experience. There is room for contemplation, questions and new perspectives on a time that still influences our world today.
Part of Museum Vest
The Ribe Viking Museum opened in 1995 and is located in Ribe's former power plant on Odins Plads in central Ribe.
The museum is part of Museum Vest, which is the cultural and natural history museums in Esbjerg Municipality.
Museum Vest's purpose is to provide users and visitors with experiences that start conversations, provide food for thought and action, and invite a new understanding of a unique, windswept and wondrous part of Denmark.
At Ribe Viking Museum you can experience permanent exhibitions about the Viking Age and the Middle Ages, both based on archaeological excavations from Ribe. In addition, children and their adults can get closer to the emergence of Ribe as a viking village in Riberødder - the children's viking village and Ribe in the Middle Ages in Dagmar & Valdemar.
