Visit or live in the Viking Town
If you are an experienced Viking and a part of a Viking group/ community, you are able to come and stay at Foteviken's Museum all year around. Please note that the museum doesn't offer accommodation for regular visitors. Here are the necessary rules for making your visit at Foteviken as pleasant as possible together with other Vikings from all over the world.
Vikings?
A visiting Viking is a person belonging to a serious working Viking re-enactment group or if you as an individual fulfils the following criteria:
- You must accept and follow The Law of Foteviken.
- You must be dressed in Viking Age clothes.
- You must not wear sunglasses and neither modern jewellery or watches.
- You must not wear makeup (neutral makeup is all right).
- You must not wear coloured, modern shoes.
- You must not use plastic bags, cigarettes, bottles and cans.
- You must not use a mobile phone during the museum opening hours
Alcohol and drugs
All use of drugs at Foteviken is absolutely forbidden. Smoking is strictly forbidden on the grounds of the museum. Alcohol is allowed, if used in a respectable way, and not during the museum´s opening hours.
Children
There were children in The Viking Age as well. We are of course happy if you bring along the future generation of the museum. Please remember that modern prams cannot be used.
Parking
Cars and trailers are to be parked at the parking space of the museum during opening hours. After opening hours you are able to bring in your car/ trailer for loading and unloading.
Reservation and registration
All Viking groups wishing to visit the museum must make a reservation in advance at The Museum of Foteviken. On arrival at Foteviken you will have to register at the reception. All members belonging to the group have to register and register their names and addresses.
Living and staying at Foteviken
As a visiting Viking, you can stay at Foteviken in different ways:
- You can live in your own Viking tent at the museum without any costs.
- You can live in a Viking house free of charge. Remember that this type of dwelling can only be offered under special circumstances. A visiting Viking staying in one of the Viking houses is personally responsible for the house. When checking out from the Viking house, the Viking responsible will inform the staff in the museum shop. The staff will check that the Viking house is left in proper order. For your own safety you are not allowed to lock the doors from the inside. You must keep the house tidy and clean daily. Please clean the floor daily. It is of course strictly forbidden to smoke inside the Viking houses. The candles and the fires must not be left out of site burning. Please put out the lights and fires, when leaving the houses.
Fire-fighting
Everybody living and working at Foteviken's Museum must control that the water barrels are filled and kept in the vicinity of the camping. Everybody must also know where the fire-fighting equipment and fire extinguishers are kept. A fire extinguisher must be kept in every Viking house during the night. All doors are to be unlocked during the night.
Animals
The animals are a natural part of the museum. Only staff members are allowed into the enclosures. Please treat the animals with tender care and respect. It is not allowed to feed the animals. The museum staff does this. It is however allowed to feed the poultry. Please leave the poultry brooding eggs alone. Please do not take any of the eggs as they are not eatable.
Fires and candles
No fires, hearths, candles or lights are to be left burning. If you light a fire in one of the smoke ovens or otherwise, a fireguard must be appointed during night and day. No hearths are to be made without approval of the museum staff. Always consider the wind, before lightning a fire. The Viking houses and the Viking tents can easily catch fire and burn down.
Police/fire brigade/doctors call 112
The religions
There are more than one religion represented in Viking town. During the early 12th century Christianity had reached Scandinavia, but many people were still heathens. Inside the defence earthworks, of The Viking Town, Christianity rules, and outside there is a pagan sacrificial grove for the Norse gods. Visiting Vikings must respect all religions. Everybody is allowed to make a sacrifice in the sacrificial grove. Blood offerings are strictly forbidden. No sacrifices are allowed to be touched.
Ships and boats
The ships and boats at the shore must not be used without the permission of the museum staff. If you want to use one of the boats, you must receive permission from the staff at the museum shop.
Cleaning
As a visiting Viking in the Viking Town it is your responsibility to see to that the area you are staying at is tidy and presentable before 10am, when the museum opens to the public. It is also mandatory to keep the lavatories and the kitchen nice, clean and tidy.
During the day, there must not be any modern objects visible in the Viking houses. All modern objects must be kept out of sight, in the lockers in the houses. The Viking tents are to be kept closed during the day if there are any modern objects visible. When you are leaving, you must clean up everything you have used.
Toilets
It is strictly forbidden to use the nature as a toilet. Please use the lavatory connected to the Museum building and keep it clean and tidy.
Firewood
The firewood should be chopped and collected at an assigned area. There are axes available in the Viking houses. Please see to that there is new firewood for the next Viking group arriving after you.
