Trelleborgen (SE)

With this find, also the name of the present day city was explained: a trelleborg was a collective name for ring fortresses with soldiers. The fortress was built in the 980s – most probably on orders from Harald Bluetooth, by that time king of Denmark. It was a period full of chaos and wars and the strategic location of the fortress probably was chosen as a place from which the coast and the countryside could be controlled.

The Trelleborg as it exists today is a reconstruction from 1995, based on the archaeological finds, crafts traditions and educated guesses. A quarter lies exactly in the middle of the modern city and keeps a reconstructed medieval house which was also found on the spot. Outside the fortress, there is a Viking yard with some small houses with it. The Trelleborg is not just a goal for tourists and a landmark for the city, besides that it is a museum for living history with room for experimental archaeology, presentation and education. It is a historical meeting place for people at present, and it is already for more than 1,000 years!