Recreated Viking Age settlement at Foteviken Museum.

© Nina Alizada/Shutterstock

Fotevikens Museum

Top choice in Skåne


If you mourn the passing of big hairy men in longboats, find solace at the fascinating Foteviken Viking Reserve, an evocative ‘living’ reconstruction of a late–Viking Age village. Around 22 authentic reconstructions of houses with reed or turf roofs have been built, near the site of the Battle of Foteviken (1134). Amazingly, the reserve’s residents live as the Vikings did, eschewing most modern conveniences and adhering to old traditions, laws and religions – even after the last tourist has left.

The houses you see belong to various tradespeople, like the town’s jarl (commander of the armed forces), juror and scribe; and the chieftain, whose home has wooden floorboards, fleeces and a Battle of Foteviken tapestry. There’s even a shield-lined great hall (the Thinghöll), a lethally powerful war catapult, and nifty Viking-made handicrafts to buy. Viking Week is usually held in late June, and culminates in a Viking market, complete with agile warriors in training.

The Viking Reserve is located about 700m north of Höllviken.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Skåne attractions

1. Bärnstensmuseum

2.28 MILES

There's something a little macabre about this unique museum, which shows ancient insects trapped in sticky resin from 40 million years ago, forever…

2. Falsterbo Museum

5.34 MILES

Little Falsterbo Museum, at the southern tip of the peninsula, is a pleasing jumble: a small Naturum, old shops and smithies, WWII mines and the remains…

3. Trelleborgen

8.39 MILES

Trelleborgen is a 9th-century Viking ring fortress, discovered in 1988 off Bryggaregatan (just west of the town centre). A quarter of the palisaded fort…

4. Axel Ebbe Konsthall

9.01 MILES

By the town park, Axel Ebbe Konsthall features nude sculptures by Scanian Axel Ebbe (1868–1941). For a preview, check out the fountain Sjöormen (literally…

5. Trelleborgs Museum

9.5 MILES

Just east of the town centre, this museum covers a wide range of themes, including a 700-year-old settlement discovered nearby.

6. Öresund Bridge

10 MILES

This bridge is the longest cable-tied road and rail bridge in Europe, measuring 7.8km from Lernacken (on the Swedish side, near Malmö) to the artificial…

7. Skånes Konstförening

11.12 MILES

This compact gallery located 1km south of Möllevångstorget, concentrates on emerging and lesser-known, mainly Scanian, artists.

8. Malmö Chokladfabrik

11.65 MILES

Watch heavenly cocoa concoctions being made, wander through the mini museum and devour the finished product at the chocolate-scented cafe. Dating from…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "sweden/skane/falsterbo-peninsula/attractions/fotevikens-museum/a/poi-sig/1112856/1330156",
      "destination": "Skåne",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Sweden",
      "region": "Skåne",
      "position": "superzone"
    }