The most important and awaited stop during our trip through Scandinavia in the summer of 2019 was the Gudvangen Viking Village. It is an educational center in the form of an open-air museum. Workers and volunteers from all over the world guide the visitors through the park with Viking Age-inspired architecture, tell stories about the Vikings, and show crafts such as tablet weaving, weaving on a vertical loom, bone carving, single needle knitting, blacksmithing and more.
The historical park is located in a very picturesque area of the fjord, surrounded on each side by mountains, from which waterfalls flow. Sometimes visitors ask whether the village workers turn them off for winter 😉 We were told by the chieftain that the waterfalls serve the villagers for something different. Apparently, by their shape and direction of the waterflow you can tell if it is going to rain soon. We tested this technique several times and it proved to be reliable .. or simply, in Gudvangen it rains every day 😉
The Viking Market in Gudvangen is an unusual reenactment event. It opens with a ritual for old gods in a dedicated space. The village comes alive with the arrival of tourists who come in waves (literally and figuratively, because right next to the village is a cruise ferries terminal and a canoe station). Traders sell hand made goods, craftsmen present their skills in workshops, and other reenactors cook, chat, and simply create the hustle and bustle of an early medieval village. The festival program includes wrestling, games, plays and music. Gudvangen has a very family, warm and friendly atmosphere. The place has won our heart and we will definitely visit it again.
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