From 29 August to 1 September the National Museum's Centre for Maritime Archaeology will hold a 'Sailing Seminar' similar to the one which was organised on Roskilde Fjord in the late summer of 1994 (see Newsletter no.3). The theme of the seminar this time will be the Baltic in the Viking Age and Middle Ages, and the ships will be those used last year, the two Skuldelev replicas from the Viking Ship Museum, Roar Ege and Helge Ask. (OBS: Helge Ask wrecked)
The departure-point will be the old Leidang harbour of Hvidanger near Vordingborg, and the first stop will be at Stubbekøbing. From there a visit will be made to the site on the Fribrødre river where the Viking Ship Museum, since the early 1980s, has been carrying out extensive investigations of a boatyard from around 1100.
Then the sailing-route will continue through Grønsund
out into the Baltic and down the east coast of Falster to Gedser.
There, on the south point of Falster, is an area which was of
great significance for the traffic between Denmark and the continent
throughout the Middle Ages. A land-excursion in this area will
include visits to the fortified site of Svinehave and the village
of Gedesby, not far from the place where the Gedesby ship from
the end of the 13th century was excavated in 1991.
For the next day's sail up Guldborgsund the little fleet will be joined by the newly-built replica of the Gedesby ship and we will moor at Fladø, where the Medieval Centre will be our host for the evening and night. On Friday the Viking ships will take part in the sailing-trials of the Gedesby replica, until the middle of the afternoon, when the seminar will end at the Medieval Centre.
As was the case for last year's seminar, there will be lectures en route about the landscape and the archaeological and historical sites, as well as discussion about the sailing-trials and their archaeological value.
The Sailing Seminar 1995 is intended for present and future archaeologists and historians who would like to experience the area of Lolland-Falster in a maritime context, or who are more generally interested in learning about some of the fundamental conditions of communications and transport in the Viking Age and Middle Ages. The cost will be DKK 2,000 per participant, covering all expenses from the start of the seminar in Vordingborg on Tuesday morning to the return of the participants by bus to the same place on Friday evening.
Further information about the seminar can be obtained from Jan Bill, Nationalmuseets Marinarkæologiske Forskningscenter, Havnevej 7, 4000 Roskilde, tlf. 46 32 16 00, fax. 46 32 24 77, enclosing a cheque for DKK 2000. As there are only about 25 places on the seminar, those who wish to participate are advised to enrol without delay. Only fully-paid enrolments will be taken into consideration.
Jorn.Sjostrom
Copyright © 1995 The National Museum of Denmark
Last Updated august 6, 1995