We Call Them Vikings

– but what did their world look like?

“We Call Them Vikings” is the new exhibition about the world of the Vikings; a world which has changed with the archaeological discoveries of recent years.

The exhibition opens in May 2012 at Drents Museum in Assen, Holland, and is a joint production by the National Historical Museum of Sweden and two organizations from Austria, MuseumsPartner and studio-exhibit.

The exhibition has been produced to go on tour in cultural historical museums in Europe and other parts of the world, and is aimed at families, adults and school classes.

Meet the Viking era

The Viking era is a mythical period in the history of Scandinavia. It was just over 1000 years ago that the Viking culture reached its zenith. But what do we really know about the people we call Vikings? How did they live? Would they recognize themselves from our descriptions of their society? These are a few of the questions behind the exhibition, where visitors meet a rich variety of material and evocative tales.

“We Call Them Vikings” challenges our image of these people. History is brought to life with the aid of many unique objects that have seldom been exhibited outside Scandinavia, as well as multimedia productions and interactive stations.

Skissbild wcv
Sketch from work with the exhibition.

Seven different themes allow visitors to dive deep into the Vikings’ lives at home, their rituals around death, the significance of handicrafts, the power of mythology and the symbolism of their ships.
Old stereotypes are seen in a new light, and the Vikings prove to be more versatile and fascinating than ever.

More than 350 original exhibits

“We Call Them Vikings” can be seen as an extension and development of the National Historical Museum’s own exhibition, “The Vikings”, which is one of world’s largest exhibitions of objects from the Viking era. Many foreign tourists come to the museum because they are particularly curious about the Vikings, and for this reason it feels a natural development to tell the history of the Vikings to a specifically international audience.

In this production, the National Historical Museum provides expert knowledge, pedagogy and handling of exhibits, studio-exhibit the design and concept, while MuseumsPartner is responsible for the logistics of the tour and sales.

Föremål wcv
There are more than
350 objects in
the exhibition.

The exhibition may be booked by interested museums and it is delivered as a “turnkey” presentation. The production consists of display modules containing more than 350 original objects, illustrations, interactive stations, multimedia, a catalogue in English and other educational materials. The design is modern and stylized but has strong graphical impressions from the Viking era such as runes and ornamentation.

“We Call Them Vikings” opens on 28 April 2012 at Drents Museum in Assen, Holland, and then continues its tour.