In 1988, local archaeologists made an exciting discovery in the port town of Trelleborg, south of Malmö. Just west of the town center they unearthed the remains of Trelleborgen (trelleborgsmuseer.se), a 9th-century fortified Viking ring fortress. Seemingly abandoned in the 11th century, it was briefly repopulated in the 13th century and then demolished and redeveloped a century later. Part of the palisaded fortress structure and a wooden gateway have been reconstructed on the site, as has a medieval house whose remains were unearthed during the excavation. The fortress is built to the same pattern as Danish fortresses of the same era, showing the centralized power of the wonderfully named Harald Bluetooth at work.
Outside the fortress walls there’s a re-created Viking farm and a small museum showcasing finds from the archaeological dig, including Viking jewelry, grooming implements and a 10th-century skull illustrating the ancient trend of teeth filing. The site and museum are open from April to October.
