The JORVIK Viking Centre

The JORVIK Viking Centre is one of the best known interactive historical attractions anywhere in the UK.

When the JORVIK Viking Centre first opened in 1984 it was one of the first of its kind in the UK. Contrary to traditional museums, with stuffy exhibits behind glass cases, the Jorvik Centre provided an interactive experience to the visitor, allowing them to “travel back in time” to the 10^th Century and the days of Viking England to experience first hand what living conditions in York would have been like 1000 years ago.

It included a full working Viking village, animatronics, sounds and even smells. In fact, some visitors have come out of the centre feeling a little overwhelmed by the “realistic smells”!

The JORVIK Centre is built on top of the site of the Coppergate dig; one of the most successful excavations seen in York.  Between 1976-81, archaeologists from York Archaeological Trust uncovered 2000 years of history.

Over that period of time approximately 1000 square metres of land was excavated near the Foss River, leading to the discovery of the remains of entire Viking streets and over 40,000 archaeological items. The extent and quality of the discoveries led to the decision to permanently preserve the site and turn it in to a tourist attraction, which became the JORVIK Viking Centre.

Why is the JORVIK Viking Centre so special?

Walking through the centre you actually pass over the remains of the Viking buildings discovered in the dig, seeing firsthand how the archaeologists saw the site. Audio and video displays talk through the discoveries from the dig, providing context to the Viking era, where they came from, why they came here, how they lived and died, and where they travelled to.Everything in the JORVIK centre is based on archaeological evidence – nothing is made up.

From the capture of York in 866, when longboats sailed up the Ouse to capture the city, to their defeat by the Norman invasion in 1066, York was a vibrant, bustling Viking settlement. This left the city with an important historical legacy, which until the 1970’s was relatively undiscovered. The extent & quality of Viking remains uncovered in the Coppergate dig astounded archaeologists and historians.

The Coppergate area has up to 9m of archaeological layers which mostly date to the Viking Age.  These layers are moist and peaty, which over the centuries had preserved the normally degradable timber buildings, textiles and leather. The layers also preserved seeds, insect remains, plants, animal bones, human parasite eggs, and pollen, providing historians with important information about past climate, diet, health and the countryside.

Exhibitions

The JORVIK Viking Centre helps the York Archaeological Trust to continue its work of archaeological excavation and research, and to disseminate its findings to the general public and the academic community. It regularly runs exhibitions of the Trust’s work, including the recent discovery of the world’s largest gladiatorial graveyard that caused a stir across the world.  Throughout the day the centre hosts talks by archaeologists on various topics of interest, providing visitors with the opportunity to ask questions about the dig or the Viking era.

Recent Refurbishment

In 2010 the York Viking Centre underwent a refurbishment, to upgrade the visitors’ experience – the new-look centre includes:

•A new glass-floored gallery, ‘Discover Coppergate’, incorporating an underfoot recreation of the original Coppergate excavation, enabling visitors to see exactly how the Viking-age remains were discovered

•1,000 year old timbers that once formed the wall of a Viking house

•Displays of never before seen objects discovered during the Coppergate excavation that gave new and fascinating insights into Viking Age life

•Seven new state-of-the-art animatronics that interact with visitors

•A new Viking Age house and back yard, based on evidence of an amber worker’s house discovered during the Coppergate excavation.

All of the animatronics characters are based on archaeological evidence from the Coppergate dig. According to Nigel Knight of RMA, the firm which managed the refurbishment, “the new characters will be incredibly lifelike, so visitors will come face to face with some very convincing Vikings!  Look out for Sigurd’s missing finger, which he lost in an accident using his saw; listen to the arguing couple discussing what to have for dinner and watch out for the rat foraging in the waste pits as you tour round Viking-age York.”

Find out about the latest exhibitions and offers at the JORVIK Viking Centre website

Visitor Information for the JORVIK Centre

Proximity to Minster – 650 metres; 8 minutes walk

 Holiday In York | JORVIK Viking Centre

Museums Must See in York What to do in York jorvik centre, jorvik viking centre, viking centre, vikings in york, york jorvik, york viking centre