The Gokstad Mound (Norwegian: Gokstadhaugen) is a large burial mound at Gokstad Farm in Sandefjord (formerly Sandar municipality) in Vestfold County, Norway. It is also known as the King's Mound (Kongshaugen) and is where the 9th century Gokstad Ship was found. [1] [2] [3]
The mound was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen in 1880. The Gokstad Ship was constructed around 890 and was laid in the mound around ten years later. It mainly consists of oak and has a length of 23.8 meters (78 ft.) and width of 5.2 meters (17 ft.). It had 16 pairs of oars and its top speed is estimated as twelve knots. [4] The Gokstad Ship is now located at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. [5]
Buried along with the ship was a petty king long believed to have been Olaf Geirstad-Alf, half-brother of Halfdan the Black. [6] [7] However, recent discoveries have increased uncertainty and it, therefore, remains unknown what chieftain was buried at the mound. [8] [9]
After two years of restoration work, Kongshaugen was dedicated in July 1929. A small stone fence was raised around the mound and birch trees were planted along the fence. On the official opening ceremony on July 20, 1929, between 2,000 and 3,000 spectators showed up to observe the ceremony. King Haakon VII was also present, along with Norway's Minister of Church Affairs, the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, the mayors of Vestfold County, and others. [10] [11] King Haakon VII also held a speech during the official opening ceremony, which took place on July 28, 1929. [12]
Gokstadhaugen has been described as one of Norway's finest archeological finds. [9] The government of Norway applied to UNESCO in January 2014 to make the Gokstad Mound a World Heritage Site. [13] [14]
The mound was in 1880 measured as 50 meters (164 ft.) in diameter, with a height of 5 meters (16.4 ft.). [16] The ocean water levels were significantly higher during the Viking Age, when the ocean stood nearly 4 meters (13 ft.) higher than today. It is therefore estimated that the ship was buried near the sea.
Artifacts found in the grave include a gaming board with counters of horn, fishing hooks, harness fittings (made of lead, iron and gilded bronze), 64 shields, kitchen utensils, six beds, a sleigh, as well as three smaller boats. Also found in the grave were two peacocks, two goshawks, eight dogs and twelve horses. [17] [5]
The burial chamber was covered by layers of birch bark, and remnants of silk interwoven with gold thread have been discovered by archeologists stuck between the logs in the roof. These are possibly the remnants of a lavish woven tapestry that decorated inside walls. [17]
Dendrochronological studies prove the ship was constructed between years 885–892 AD. The burial chamber is dated to 895–903 AD. [18]
The buried chieftain was estimated to be 181–183 cm tall (5'9"–6'0"), and was killed around age 40 during a battle. [19]
The ship was discovered in 1879, and was excavated by Nicolay Nicolaysen between April–June 1880. [20] The mound was closed and the chieftain's knuckles were returned to the grave site on June 16, 1928. The knuckles were put in a sarcophagus, and King Haakon VII was present at the official opening of the restored mound on July 29, 1929. The sarcophagus was brought out of the grave by archeologists in 2007, and is currently kept at the University of Oslo (UiO). [21]
Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered the previous Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration was located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the largest city is Sandefjord. With the exception of the city-county of Oslo, Vestfold was the smallest county in Norway by area. Vestfold was the only county in which all municipalities had declared Bokmål to be their sole official written form of the Norwegian language.
Tønsberg, historically Tunsberg, is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, eastern Norway, located around 102 kilometres south-southwest of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near its mouth onto the Skagerrak. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg. The city is the most populous metropolis in the district of Vestfold with a population of 52,419 in 2019. The municipality has a population of 56,293 and covers an area of 329 square kilometres in 2020. Tønsberg also serves as the seat for the County Governor of Vestfold og Telemark.
Sandefjord is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. Other population centres in Sandefjord include Andebu, Fevang, Fokserød, Fossnes, Freberg, Hafallen, Helgerød, Himberg, Høyjord, Kodal, Lahelle, Melsomvik, Råstad, Solløkka, Stokke, Storevar, Strand, and Unneberg
The Gokstad ship is a 9th-century Viking ship found in a burial mound at Gokstad in Sandar, Sandefjord, Vestfold, Norway. It is displayed at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. It is the largest preserved Viking ship in Norway.
The Oseberg ship is a well-preserved Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. This ship is commonly acknowledged to be among the finer artifacts to have survived from the Viking Era. The ship and some of its contents are displayed at the Viking Ship Museum at Bygdøy on the western side of Oslo, Norway.
Østerøya a peninsula in Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is one of two long, narrow peninsulas located south of the city of Sandefjord. The peninsula lies between the Mefjorden and Tønsbergfjorden and it sits across the fjord from the Vesterøya peninsula. The Tønsberg Barrel is located on the southern end of the peninsula. The Tønsberg Barrel is an old sea mark that is mentioned in Sverris saga. It has been described as one of the most beautiful sites in Sandefjord.
The international schools at Skagerak are a group of private schools located on the waterfront in Sandefjord, Norway. Skagerak is located at the prestigious premises of the former shipyard administration at Framnes. They comprise a kindergarten, primary school, middle school, and a high school. The high school is recognized as an International Baccalaureate World School. Together, they promote mutual respect, intercultural awareness and international-mindedness through the International Baccalaureate programmes: the Diploma, Middle Years and Primary Years programmes. The PYP was authorized in June 2006 and the Middle School is a candidate for MYP authorization in June 2007.
Sandefjordmuseene (Hvalfangstmuseet) is a museum located in Sandefjord, Norway. It is dedicated to the whaling industry and is the only specialized museum on the subject of whales and whaling in Europe. Since 2009, the museum has been associated with the Vestfold Museum (Vestfoldmuseene). It is one of the largest whaling museums in the world, and Europe's only museum dedicated to the whaling industry.
The Tune ship (Tuneskipet) is a Viking ship exhibited in the Viking Ship Museum in Bygdøy, Oslo.
Borre mound cemetery forms part of the Borre National Park at Horten in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway.
Ula is a small seaside village in Larvik Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The village is located in the Tjølling area of the municipality. It is located about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the south of the village of Hem and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the southeast of the village of Tjøllingvollen.
Nicolay Nicolaysen was a Norwegian archaeologist and Norway's first state employed antiquarian. He is perhaps best known for his excavations of the ship burial at Gokstad in 1880.
Viking ship replicas are one of the more common types of ship replica. Viking, the very first Viking ship replica, was built by the Rødsverven shipyard in Sandefjord, Norway. In 1893 it sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to Chicago in the United States for the World's Columbian Exposition. Formerly located in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois, the Viking is currently undergoing conservation in Geneva, Illinois, United States.
Sandefjord Station is a railway station on the Vestfold Line in Sandefjord, Norway. The station is served with regional trains operated by Vy. The station opened as part of the Vestfold Line in 1881. Norsk Spisevognselskap took over operations of the restaurant on 1 January 1940. The first train came to Sandefjord in 1881, on its way to neighboring Larvik. In the 1950s, the steam locomotive was replaced by the less noisy electric run train.
The Gjermundbu helmet is a Viking Age helmet.
Kamper Bas is a hill and a neighborhood at Gokstad in Sandefjord, Norway. The residential area is located 10–15 minutes walking from the city center. It is located east of Sandefjord city center. Kamper Bas borders Østerøyveien, Hegnaveien, Breiliveien and Gokstadryggen, which is a neighboring residential community. It was formerly known as Kampen Bas and was also known by the name Hjalmarskogen before construction began. It was an undeveloped and forested area used for recreation prior to development. From Kamper Bas are views of Gokstadveien, Unneberg and Kråkås in the north, Freberg and Gjekstad in the east, and Breiliveien, Hegnaveien and Kamfjord in the south.
Scandic Park Hotel is a large hotel in Sandefjord, Norway. The Park Hotel was completed in 1960 and was the largest and most luxurious hotel in Vestfold County when established. Park Hotel was built on a site that previously belonged to Sandefjord Spa. It is located next to the harbor and near the city center. It caters for conferences, business functions, and courses. Most rooms overlook the Sandefjordsfjord. The hotel houses three restaurants: Parkstuen, Kosmos, and Vinstuen. It has spa facilities, gyms, solariums, saltwater swimming pools, saunas, conference halls, and a banquet hall.
Istrehågan is an ancient monument at Jåberg on the Sandefjord-Larvik border in Vestfold og Telemark, Norway. It is home to some of the largest stone settings in the Nordic countries. Nearby Haugen farm in Sandefjord is home to Vestfold County's largest petroglyph site. The rock carvings at Haugen farm are Vestfold County's oldest ancient monument. It is an ancient burial ground which dates to the time of the Roman Iron Age around 1500-500 BCE. It is located two kilometers northwest of Hemskilen Nature Preserve in a forest known as Marumskogen.
Sandefjord is a city that is the administrative centre of the large Sandefjord Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is located at the head of the Sandefjordsfjorden, along the Skaggerak coast in southern Vestfold. The large town also includes coastal areas on both sides of the Mefjorden on the Vesterøya and Østerøya peninsulas. The 24.19-square-kilometre (5,980-acre) town has a population (2022) of 45,816 and a population density of 1,894 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,910/sq mi).
Yxnøy is the southernmost part of Østerøya in Sandefjord, Norway. It stretches from Nordre Truber to Ertsvika. It is one of the largest undeveloped areas found along the Vestfold coast. It is a recreational area home to several beaches, steep cliffs, forests, sloping rocks, glacial potholes, hiking trails, and Tønsberg Barrel.