Viking Pictures
Selection of our pictures of Vikings, viking settlements and re-enactments of the Viking way of life are captured in this gallery of photographs chronicling the fascinating history of Vikings in Canada. (There are 39 photos in this photo gallery.)
In the 1960's Helge Ingstad, a Norwegian explorer and writer, was investigating sites along the Atlantic coast where the Vikings may have had settlements. Helge and his wife Anne were shown some overgrown ridges at the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. A series of archaeological excavations led to the remarkable discovery of a Viking site dating from around 1000 A.D. The site marks the oldest known European contact with North America.
L'Anse aux Meadows is a National Historic Site, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site 1978. Tourists can visit the site, and explore exhibits on the Viking's artifacts, lifestyle, and details of the archaeological discovery.
Another must-see is Norstead, a replica a Viking port of trade situated two kilometers from L'Anse aux Meadows. A boat shed houses Viking ships, including a 54 ft. Viking Knarr. Norstead also has a chieftan's hall, church and workshop. ...More information below photos...
...Continue gallery information: Interpreters dressed in authentic Viking costumes bring the site to life and demonstrate activities such as shaping clay pottery, forging iron, spinning sheep fleece and storytelling.
The Viking presence is also celebrated in other parts of the Canada. In the town of Gimli, Manitoba, 75 km north of Winnipeg, a large Viking statue along the shores of Lake Winnipeg, celebrates the Icelandic peoples of the area. The statue was constructed in 1967 to mark the centennial. Icelandic settlers made Gimli home in the 1870?s and their presence is still strong there today.
Most of our Viking pictures are taken on Newfoundland on the viking sites L'Anse aux meadows and the Norstead port of trade site. Both sites are located on the Northern Peninsula on northwestern Newfoundland.
