Vikingskipshuset

Lonely Planet review

The magnificent Vikingskipshuset houses three Viking ships excavated from the Oslofjord region. The ships had been brought ashore and used as tombs for nobility, who were buried with all they were expected to need in the hereafter, including jewels, furniture, food and servants. Built of oak in the 9th century, these Viking ships were buried in blue clay, which preserved two of them amazingly well.

The impressive Oseberg, buried in 834, is festooned on prow and stern with elaborate dragon and serpent carvings. It measures 22m and required 30 oarsmen. The burial chamber beneath it held the largest collection of Viking-age artefacts ever uncovered in Scandinavia, but had been looted of all jewellery. The sturdier 24m-long Gokstad, built around 890, is the finest remaining example of a Viking longship, but when it was unearthed its corresponding burial chamber had also been looted and few artefacts were uncovered. In addition to the three ships, the museum contains a good general exhibit on Vikings.