Jorvik

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Jorvik Viking Centre

Jorvik

Where is it – England, Yorkshire and the Humber

Who looks after it –  Charity 

What is it –  Museum or Gallery 

When is it from – Viking

Jorvik is a reconstruction of part of Viking York (Jorvik) in the year 975 AD, which includes a gallery of unique artefacts and an underground ride underneath Coppergate Shopping Centre through part of the city as it might have been 1,000 years ago. At the time, Jorvik was a prosperous, multicultural, trading hub.

It all began in the 1970s, with excavations that revealed 9 meters of archaeological layers dating primarily to the Viking Age. The peaty conditions preserved a wealth of organic remains, including timber buildings, textiles and leather – materials that typically decay at most archaeological sites. The peaty layers also preserved a rich seam of environmental evidence, such as seeds, insects, plants, animal bones, human parasites, and pollen. This provides invaluable data about the ancient climate, diet, health, countryside, and other aspects of the environment.

Jorvik Viking Centre opened to the public in 1984 and is now one of York’s ‘must see’ visitor attractions. The ride features 360-degree views of meticulously researched reconstructed buildings, animatronic characters, sounds – such as spoken Old Norse and Old English – even ancient Arabic – and even authentic smells! Unfortunately, a strict ‘no photography’ policy operates inside.

 


Address
19 Coppergate, York, North Yorkshire YO1 9WT 

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