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VIKING LIVING HISTORY ATTRACTION L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada Open from Mid June until Mid September 2008- 9a.m. until 6p.m. Daily
Norstead: A Viking Village and Port of Trade
is a non-profit organization that was created to take history out of the exhibit case and place it
in the hands of visitors. Join costumed interpreters in the dim
light of the Viking-style Chieftain's Hall and listen to mysterious
Viking tales. Watch the blacksmith
forging iron. Step aboard the full-scale replica of the Viking ship
Snorri Learn how the Vikings mastered the North Atlantic.
Use a simple notched stick to measure distance by the stars. Shape
clay into pottery the way the Vikings did. Spin sheep fleece into
yarn using ancient drop spindle technology, dye the yarn bright
purple, pink, or rusty yellow using local plants and berries....weave
it into cloth at the loom. It’s in your hands to explore!
Located about two km from L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site,
the only authenticated Viking site in North America, Norstead
replicates a Viking port of trade as it may have looked during the
Viking era (790-1066 AD). The four-hectare site has a boat shed
with its very own Viking ships, including the 54 foot replica Viking
knarr which sailed from Greenland to L’Anse aux Meadows in
1998 with a crew of only nine men. There is also a chieftain's hall,
church, and a workshop, with costumed interpreters who bring the
site to life. All buildings, which consist of wood paneled walls
and earthen floors, have been created to convey the look and feel
of the Viking Era.
Norstead, which won
the provincial Attractions Canada award for “Best New Attraction”,
was the centerpiece of a series of events held in 2000 to mark the
1,000th anniversary of the Vikings' arrival in the New World. Those
events generated widespread media coverage and helped the site attract
28,000 visitors in its first season of operation. The aim of the
site is to ensure that visitors have the opportunity to gain a broader
understanding of Norse life, while having fun through an enriched
travel experience. Check out links to webpages with Norstead information. Check out the Historic Sites Association
Gift Shop located in the Norstead ticket booth.
"L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and Norstead are complementary must-see attractions:one is a formal archaeological introduction to a 1000-year-old Viking habitation, the other brings the ancient Norse experience to life"
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