Asgard Alaska will be an open-air museum and a living village, but don’t let the term museum fool you. Our “museum” will be a place where all of your senses are involved. You will become a member of our Viking village for a day. Participate in our activities in a hands-on learning environment. The best way to learn something is to do it. We drew inspiration from the amazing Foteviken Museum in Höllviken, Sweden.
Foteviken Museum in Sweden
Foteviken sits beside the site of the 1134 Battle of Fotevik. Visitors walk through a tunnel under the highway to reach a reconstructed Viking-age town, ringed by earthworks on three sides and a lake on the fourth, where ‘guards’ at the gate keep invaders out.
Visitors are greeted with replica farms, a marketplace, and buildings that house the various activities of a Viking village to the extent that historical documents and archaeology can confirm. The population of the village includes students, who learn historically accurate skills like blacksmithing and weaving. Volunteers, interested in keeping the history of the area alive, run the activities for guests. There are campgrounds and Viking houses for those guests who want to stay overnight.
Foteviken Museum offers different programs tailored to the visitors’ wishes. School groups can experience a day in the life of a Viking or become a Viking warrior. Guided tours give an overview of the village and may end with a feast in the dining hall.
Ohio’s Viking Longhall
Another inspiration comes from Ohio’s Viking Longhall campsite, where they offer a communal camping adventure in a Viking Longhall re-creation that sleeps up to 27 people. The campsite has amenities, like a fully furnished kitchen, DVD player and projection system. It can be used for larger groups and has ample meeting space as well as an idyllic setting.
Most importantly, the Longhall taught us that Asgard Alaska doesn’t have to open with everything in place. A living Viking community doesn’t start with millions of dollars. We plan to begin with a few pieces, such as primitive campsites, an archery range and a trail, and grow toward the full vision from there.
Bringing Vikings to Alaska
These two places sketch the starting point for our future. We’ll add dreams of our own, such as a 3D-target archery trail and axe throwing, and let our visitors help shape the rest.
Bringing Vikings to Alaska takes a village. Asgard Alaska is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts to our Land Fund are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. We’re also looking for volunteers willing to share skills like woodcarving, blacksmithing and weaving.
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