Viking Denmark...the end of the saga
Reflections on a historian's trek through a Viking homeland
I arrived back home from Denmark only a couple days ago, and truth be told re-entry has been a challenge. Getting used to the time change, the “vacation let down,” and the fact that my home town is suffering through the climate of a late summer, namely 90 F temps (32 C) and smoky skies from multiple wildfires, have all played a role. My body feels like it’s in “fight or flight” mode.
But for this historian of the Viking Age, the trip was an adventure that was well worth the discomfort I’m feeling now. We traversed quite a bit of ground (luckily the country is small) and stayed in three pretty distinct places which I recap below. For any of you interested in travel to Denmark, I highly recommend it whether you are a Viking enthusiast or not.
Stop #1: Copenhagen (København)
Even though people have been living in Denmark for thousands of years, its capital city as a settlement dates to the Viking Age about 1,000 years ago. It is Denmark’s largest city with a population of about 1.4 million and straddles the islands of Zealand and Amager. While it is a major, bustling, international city, it has a very manageable “neighborhoody” type of feel. We were lucky to stay there twice (at the beginning and again at the end of the trip) and in two quite different environs. There is something here for everyone.
There is no doubt the Danes embrace their Viking history and heritage, but something extremely notable about the place, particularly in urban areas like Copenhagen, is their integration of past and present. For such an old place, the city feels oddly “fresh.” As I mentioned in my previous post about the architecture there, the Danes really seem to excel at integrating humans into the natural world, and this plays a role in the seamless way it feels both old and new at the same time. There is building going on everywhere, but it’s happening in a seemingly thoughtful way, whether it’s a home, apartment building, commercial building, or green space. They include it all and seem to have mastered the art of densely packed, urban living.
One caveat: Copenhagen lives up to its reputation as an expensive city. It’s very easy for two people to have a modest dinner out and for it to cost well over $100 USD. Housing is also on par with the expensive cities in the U.S., particularly on the east and west coasts. And yet, the place also has a very modest feel to it. It left us looking around at how people lived and wondering how they’re all affording it because, expensive as it is, things seem, well, almost ordinary. Part of it, no doubt, has to do with their societal structure regarding “safety nets,” which means they are not having to spend money on things like health care, for instance.
This bit from a travel website pretty well sums it up as far as I’m concerned:
As for why Copenhagen is expensive, it’s a similar reason to why Switzerland is so expensive: because the quality of living is much better than in other countries. It’s a luxurious way of life.
My interpretation of that luxuriousness is not the flashy “look at me, I’m rich” type of luxury living, but rather the luxury of simply living a good and happy life. It’s hard to articulate, but take my word for it — the feeling of “hygge” (contentedness, in a general sense) that the Scandinavians are famous for is palpable.
On balance, Denmark’s capital city is very worth the visit. But you also need to get out and explore the rest of the country, which we did on our next stop….
Stop #2: Aarhus (Århus)
This is Denmark’s second largest city with around 300,000 population situated on Jutland, and it also started as a Viking Age settlement. Like Copenhagen, it is a triumph of integrating the old with the new.
Aarhus is a university town with a center specifically focused on the study of the Viking and Middle Ages, and much of the urban core is dedicated to academic buildings, but there is also the old Latin Quarter as well as the new harbor area that add to the mix to make this place a dynamic and understated gem.
The draw of Aarhus for this historian — besides its origins as a Viking trading center — was proximity to other Viking Age sites such as Jelling and Lindholme Høje which I talked about in separate posts. Both places were bucket list items and completely worth it. Luckily, nothing in Denmark is very far away.
But a big splurge for this trip was staying in what locals refer to as the “Lighthouse,” a high-rise building right on the tip of the north end of the harbor. It is a historic building even though it was just finished in 2022 — its historical notability being that it is the tallest building in Denmark at 45 stories; we stayed on the 25th. Mind you, my traveling partner is a farmer who is not that enamored with ultra modern, urban living and is afraid of heights to boot, but it was an unbelievably unanticipated surprise for both of us just how much fun it was to watch all the maritime activity going on, both day and night. And also right outside, the window washers dropping (literally) by occasionally. It’s something we’ll never forget.
Equally memorable was a trip to the Moesgaard Museum, the most successful museum I’ve ever been in regarding design, both in the exhibits and the building itself. It is a human history museum charting from pre-history through the ages, including their famous “bog man.” Moesgaard’s exhibits are unbelievably creative and well-interpreted. Prior to becoming an academic, I worked at several museums and managed a private art collection, so I am well-versed in what it takes behind the scenes to put together well-curated and presented shows. For me, the MOMU knocks it out of the park.
Aarhus had a unique vibe, but it also felt equally as calm and civilized as Copenhagen for an urban space. Lots of locals walking, running, biking, pushing baby carriages, fishing off the pier, having coffee, just going about ordinary lives. Because it’s smaller it has a “boutique” sort of feel, but for me, in the end, the single word that best sums it up is chill. I could write a whole post just on the experiences in this one place; it definitely made an impression on me. Very cool.
Our third destination was also unique, but for different reasons. Let me introduce you to…
Spot #3: Odense
This spot took us to yet another part of Denmark, a separate island called Fyn. It is Denmark’s third largest city at around 200,000. It is also a settlement that has its roots in the Viking Age, and indeed its name derives from the Norse god Oðinn who was supposedly worshipped here.
Odense also has its quaint, historic center with medieval buildings that look like they will cave in any second, and it mixes old and new like the other cities. There is a lot of new construction happening, particularly in the old harbor area. We lived in a neighborhood near there, about one mile north of the downtown core that was very quiet and in transition; you can tell in five years it will be pretty lively and hip.
Our reason for staying in Odense, in addition to the Viking Age history nearby such as the Glavendrup stones I wrote about in a separate post, was to attend a Christmas tree growers trade show in Langesø, just west of the city. My family owns a Christmas tree farm, and this trade show is one of the biggest in the world. It was impressive because it was an outdoor event, in a tree grove on the property of a historic building. Just one more example of the Danes and their expert integration of past and present, inside and outside. It was unlike any “conference center” I’d ever been to.
My overall impression of Odense was of a much more working class place with a gritty and quirky edge, and what kept coming to mind was a feeling that it was sort of the “Cinderella” to its bigger step-sisters Copenhagen and Aarhus, and it knows it and is trying to catch up. Totally worth the visit for the history, but definitely a work in progress and an underdog worth rooting for.
That’s it for my brief recap of the cities we called home in Denmark. We spent a week in each spot, so we were able to get a pretty good feel for them, but the country was so much more. It was flat farms, windmills, smørrebrød (the best open-faced sandwiches ever), friendly people, bikes everywhere, clean, organized, creative, and thoughtful. Mange tak, Denmark!
To get more in-depth on the Viking history I finally got to experience check out my other posts here. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride!
Skál!
Danmark and Scandinavia in total is such a great area, it seems to breathe history and peace. Beautiful.
When in Aarhus, couple years ago, I visited a very small viking museum in some cellar in the city. It was small but very interesting and atmoshperic. Don't remember the name though. Wonder if you saw it?
It’s so bizarre to me that some of the most brutal warriors on earth were turned into the weakest and most effete people in the western hemisphere. Same with Norway. I hate to blame Christianity, but ...