Experience the Vikings this summer

Experience the Vikings this summer at Archeon Museum Park

During the summer holidays, we invite you to travel back to the age of the Vikings at Archeon Museum Park, located in the heart of the Green Heart of South Holland. Wander through our Viking encampment, where market stalls are filled with handcrafted products, including historical jewellery, clothing, shoes, soap, mead, toys, wood-burned crafts, glassware, beads and textiles. Meet more than 200 Vikings from eight different European countries!

Our Vikings are happy to tell you all about everyday life in the Early Middle Ages. At weekends, they present impressive demonstrations showcasing the weapons and clothing they used. Discover how they lived as farmers, craftsmen, traders, warriors and explorers. On selected days, several encampments can be visited, each telling its own unique story.

Tales from across the seas

The Vikings left their mark all over Europe. Many place names—especially in England—originate directly from Scandinavian languages. Archaeological discoveries of Viking jewellery and everyday objects have been found across the continent. Did you know that, according to the English, Vikings spent remarkable amounts of time grooming themselves before battle? They believed that fallen warriors would feast and fight forever in Valhalla—and naturally, they wanted to look their best.

Dorestad: trade, prosperity and Viking raids

During the Early Middle Ages, Dorestad was one of the most important trading centres in Northwestern Europe. Under the reign of Charlemagne, the settlement grew into an international hub where merchants from across Europe gathered. Goods from the hinterland and the distant south were traded here, and the Vikings were frequent visitors as merchants.

From AD 834 onwards, things began to change. The Vikings increasingly arrived with less peaceful intentions. By then, Dorestad's position had already weakened. The course of the river had shifted, making the harbour less accessible, while central authority within the empire was declining. At the same time, other trading towns were emerging. Viking raids ultimately dealt the final blow to Dorestad: many inhabitants were killed or left the settlement. Archaeological research has shown that there is no evidence for the great fires that are often associated with this period.