Sagastad opened in 2019 and is built around one object: a full-size replica of the Myklebust ship, the largest Viking longship ever found in Norway. The original was 30 metres long and was discovered in 1874 in the burial mound called Rundehøgjen, which you can still walk to just outside the centre.
The ship belonged to King Audbjørn, who ruled the Firda kingdom from this part of the coast around 870 AD. According to the sagas, he was killed in the Battle of Solskjel in 876, fighting against Harald Fairhair who was busy unifying Norway. The king was cremated on his ship in the burial mound, which is how the ship was found, burnt but traceable from the iron rivets left behind.
The replica was built using traditional methods and launched on the fjord in 2019. Once a year they still take it out and sail it. The building itself is striking, one giant room with a polished aluminium roof that gives it exceptional acoustics. Inside there are VR experiences that recreate 9th-century Nordfjordeid, letting you walk around the Viking village and examine artifacts.
You can board the ship inside the museum, which gives you a sense of the scale. Thirty metres is big. These were ocean-going vessels built for war and trade, and this one belonged to a king who controlled the western coast of Norway. Rundehøgjen itself is a short walk away and worth seeing, even if it is just a grassy mound now. Standing on top of it, knowing what was underneath, does something.
The ship belonged to King Audbjørn, who ruled the Firda kingdom from this part of the coast around 870 AD. According to the sagas, he was killed in the Battle of Solskjel in 876, fighting against Harald Fairhair who was busy unifying Norway. The king was cremated on his ship in the burial mound, which is how the ship was found, burnt but traceable from the iron rivets left behind.
The replica was built using traditional methods and launched on the fjord in 2019. Once a year they still take it out and sail it. The building itself is striking, one giant room with a polished aluminium roof that gives it exceptional acoustics. Inside there are VR experiences that recreate 9th-century Nordfjordeid, letting you walk around the Viking village and examine artifacts.
You can board the ship inside the museum, which gives you a sense of the scale. Thirty metres is big. These were ocean-going vessels built for war and trade, and this one belonged to a king who controlled the western coast of Norway. Rundehøgjen itself is a short walk away and worth seeing, even if it is just a grassy mound now. Standing on top of it, knowing what was underneath, does something.