Experience places where the stories are so powerful, they’ve become part of UNESCO’s World Heritage. Step into history – feel it, explore it, and let yourself be swept away. Here, the past comes alive, and you’re invited to join us as we bring these great stories to life.
Here, we’ve gathered experiences under the theme of WORLD HERITAGE, offering inspiration for a day trip through Himmerland.
Join a journey through Himmerland’s unique World Heritage – a voyage into Viking magic and maritime craftsmanship.
Himmerland is home to several forms of UNESCO-recognised World Heritage – and you can experience it all in just one day. The impressive Viking ring fortresses Aggersborg and Fyrkat are inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List alongside Denmark’s three other ring fortresses, while the ancient clinker boatbuilding tradition – which has shaped Nordic boats for centuries – is recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage. Together, they offer a unique insight into the powerful culture and technological skill of the Viking Age.
Begin your day by the Limfjord with a visit to Aggersborg. With its impressive diameter and strategic location, this is Denmark’s largest and oldest Viking ring fortress. Take a walk along the mighty ramparts and imagine the lives of the warriors and chieftains who looked out over the same fjord more than a thousand years ago. As you gaze across the waters of the Limfjord, you can enhance your experience by listening to the story of Harald Bluetooth’s golden age via the StoryHunt platform. Follow the route, hear about the Vikings’ military and political power, and feel transported back to a time when swords clashed and fires crackled.
Next, set course for the Limfjord Museum in Løgstør, where the workshops by the Frederik VII Canal keep the proud clinker boatbuilding tradition alive. Here, you can watch boats being built using the exact same techniques the Vikings once used – and take in the scent of fresh wood and tar in the working boatyards. In Løgstør, you can also discover a faithful replica of the Hemdrup Staff – a mysterious find made east of Hemdrup. Decorated with runes, the staff evokes thoughts of seeresses and magical rituals, and remains one of the Viking Age’s most enigmatic objects. And who knows – perhaps it once belonged to Himmerland’s very own völva?
Follow the Vikings’ invisible trail south to Fyrkat near Hobro, where Denmark’s only known völva was discovered and excavated just outside the ring fortress. Here, you can visit the exhibition that enriches your knowledge about the Völva and the jewelry and objects found in her grave. You can also see the magnificent silver treasures uncovered near Bramslev Bakker – a treasure trove of insight into the Vikings’ beliefs and worldview awaits at Fyrkat.
Close to the ring fortress lies the Chieftain’s Farm, where living history Vikings welcome you. Help the blacksmith with his hard work, cook over an open fire, and experience how everyday life and craftsmanship went hand in hand in the Viking world.
End your day at Hobro Shipyard – North Jutland’s oldest active wooden shipyard – where you can see firsthand how the clinker boatbuilding method was used to construct the historic Viking ships docked at the yard. Boats are still built here today, and as you walk along the shipyard path, you can sense the history that unites past and present in a living tradition that has carried Denmark across the world’s oceans.
A day in Himmerland with World Heritage is not just a trip through history – it is a sensory and living experience that brings you close to the world of the Vikings.
