Roskilde, Denmark, WSW of Copenhagen, was the original Capital of the country. Long before that, it was a Viking settlement.
Today, Roskilde is renowned for its large cathedral, the burial site of Denmark's kings and queens, and for its Viking Museum, which houses the remnants of five Viking ships, dating back to the late 11th Century. These ships were first located in the Roskilde Fjord in 1962 and are still being pieced together today. An associated Viking village allows visitors to engage in activities that characterized Viking culture.
The Viking civilization first arose in Scandinavia in the 8th Century AD and endured until the early 11th Century; by then they had merged with the regional Christian society. Though known as ruthless raiders across the North Atlantic, the Vikings developed prowess in many areas of Nordic life and established trade routes that extended as far south as the Mediterranean Sea.
