The burial mounds at Borre are the largest collection of monumental royal graves from the Merovingian and Viking Age anywhere in Northern Europe. Seven large mounds and around twenty smaller ones sit in a park on the edge of the Oslofjorden, dating from roughly 600 to 900 AD. These were not graves for ordinary people: the size and placement of the mounds signal power, dynasty, and control of the fjord.
Excavations in the 1850s uncovered richly decorated harness fittings in a distinctive interlace style that archaeologists now call the Borre style, one of the defining art forms of the Viking Age. In 2019, ground-penetrating radar revealed what appears to be yet another ship burial, still unexcavated, adding to the site's already remarkable density of elite graves. Radar surveys have also identified the foundations of three large halls near the cemetery, suggesting this was a seat of royal power for centuries.
The park itself is a pleasant place to walk year-round, with the mounds rising gently among old trees. The adjacent Midgard Vikingsenter provides context through exhibitions and a reconstructed Viking hall.
Excavations in the 1850s uncovered richly decorated harness fittings in a distinctive interlace style that archaeologists now call the Borre style, one of the defining art forms of the Viking Age. In 2019, ground-penetrating radar revealed what appears to be yet another ship burial, still unexcavated, adding to the site's already remarkable density of elite graves. Radar surveys have also identified the foundations of three large halls near the cemetery, suggesting this was a seat of royal power for centuries.
The park itself is a pleasant place to walk year-round, with the mounds rising gently among old trees. The adjacent Midgard Vikingsenter provides context through exhibitions and a reconstructed Viking hall.