Jorvik Viking Centre
One of York ’s most fascinating and popular visitor attractions, Jorvik recounts the city’s Viking heritage.
Built on the site of the original Viking settlement uncovered by archaeologists at Coppergate in the late 1970s, the Jorvik centre contains over 800 artefacts found on the site and a reconstruction of the sights, sounds and smells of the Viking village.
For nearly one hundred years during the 9th Century, the Vikings settled the area naming it Jorvik and established a bustling community with trading links with the south of England , Scotland and Scandinavia.
This 9th Century community is brought to life with the use of 21st Century technology, as you journey through the reconstructed village learning about life on a cold October day in a Viking settlement, hearing the language and seeing actors in period dress. The exhibition centre also includes an extensive range of findings from the archaeological dig of the 1970s, from boots shoes, jewellery and even the bones of the Viking inhabitants.
Throughout the year Jorvik presents a variety of events and activities and each February the Jorvik Viking Festival is held with feasting, battle re-enactments and longship races.
