Gokstad Mound

In 1880 the sons of the farmer at Gokstad began digging into the mound on their land and found a ship; a proper excavation followed within months and recovered a clinker-built oak vessel about 24 metres long from around 890, buried with a man in his forties along with horses, dogs, small boats and equipment. It is the best-preserved Viking ship yet found, and it is displayed in Oslo. The mound itself was rebuilt after the dig and stands in a field with an information point, an outline of the ship marked on the ground and a walking path around it. There is nothing dramatic to see, but it is the actual place, and the Vestfold coast holds several such mounds within a short drive.

History

Nicolay Nicolaysen excavated the mound in 1880 and found the Gokstad ship, built around 890 and laid in the mound about ten years later: an oak ship 23.8 metres long with 16 pairs of oars, now at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. The restored mound was dedicated in July 1929 in the presence of King Haakon VII (Wikipedia, Gokstad Mound).

The main sights

• The rebuilt mound - the grass burial mound restored after the excavation.
• The ship outline - the vessel's shape marked on the ground.
• The information point - an account of the 1880 dig and the finds.
• The field setting - open farmland on the edge of Sandefjord.

When to go

May to September for comfortable walking; the site is open ground with free access at all times and in all seasons. It takes half an hour and works as a stop rather than a destination.

Practical notes

The ship is in Oslo, not here, and the mound is simply a grassed hill with a sign, which disappoints visitors expecting an exhibition. There are no facilities. The site is worth combining with the Vestfold museums.

Nearby

The Oseberg mound is near Tonsberg; Kaupang and the Midgard Viking Centre lie along the same coast.

Key facts