Vikingabyn Storholmen - open-air museum in Roslagen.

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: October 2026 | By Lake Erken in Roslagen lies the Viking Village Storholmen, a living open-air museum where you can travel back in time about a thousand years. Here you will find reconstructed Viking houses, crafts and activities that give an insight into life during the Viking Age. We discovered the village almost by chance during a motorhome trip and had an unexpectedly pleasant meeting with some of the people behind the operation.

The Viking village of Storholmen by Lake Erken

The Viking village of Storholmen is beautifully situated on a headland by Lake Erken, in Svanberga, about ten kilometres north of Norrtälje. It is an archaeological open-air museum that aims to bring the Viking Age to life and show how people may have lived and worked around a thousand years ago.

The museum grew out of a group of enthusiasts' initiative during the 1990s and operations began in 1996. Since then, the area has developed with reconstructed buildings, craft environments and activities that suit both adults and children.

During a few summer weeks, the village is filled with people in Viking-era clothing who demonstrate crafts, tell stories and let visitors try out different crafts. Special events and booked group visits are also arranged during other parts of the year.

Our unexpected visit to the Viking Village Storholmen

We actually came to the Viking Village Storholmen more or less by chance! We had celebrated midsummer at Väddö havsbad och camping and were on our way back to Stockholm with the camper. On the way we stopped to spend the night with the camper at Svanberga badplats, right next to Lake Erken.

We had seen that there was a nature reserve nearby and decided to take a walk. We followed a path through the greenery, and suddenly an entire Viking village appeared in front of us!

The open-air museum hadn't yet opened for the summer season, so we hadn't really expected to be able to visit it. But when we arrived at the entrance, we were greeted by a young woman in Viking clothing, with a small child in her arms. She welcomed us in, told us cheerfully and enthusiastically about the activities, and then let us look around on our own.

It was one of those unexpected stops that makes a trip extra fun. We hadn't planned to visit a Viking village, but suddenly we found ourselves in the middle of an environment that aroused both curiosity and imagination!

The Storholmen Foundation and the people behind the village

The Storholmen Viking Village is run by the Storholmen Foundation, while the non-profit Storholmen Viking Association plays an important role in the operations. Volunteers and interns are also involved here.

It is noticeable that there is a great interest in history and old crafts. During the summer activities, the village is populated by people who help recreate life during the Viking Age, with contemporary clothing, traditional working methods and activities.

We were given a brief, spontaneous tour by one of the people behind the operation. He told us about the work involved in building and developing the Viking village, the financial challenges, and the great commitment required to realize the ideas.

It was inspiring to hear how much work goes into an open-air museum like this. And perhaps it was meeting the dedicated people that made the biggest impression on us.

Viking-era houses, long halls and craft environments

A big part of the experience at Vikingabyn Storholmen is the environment itself. Here you will find reconstructed houses built with various techniques from the Viking Age. The most impressive building is a 24-meter-long long hall with a chipped roof, which was inaugurated in 2019. Here you can imagine how people gathered to eat, socialize and discuss important issues.

The area also features a forge, a cookhouse with barbecue area, herb gardens and runestones. In addition, there are two reconstructed Viking ships that remind us of how important boats were for trade, travel and contacts with other parts of the world.

It is fascinating to walk around between the buildings and ponder what life might have been like here a thousand years ago. How did people stay warm in the winter? What did they eat? What did a typical working day look like? The Viking Village provides an opportunity to get a little closer to the answers, not least when it is staffed and craftsmen show how different tasks were carried out.

Learning about the Viking Age and the runes

During our visit we also heard a lot about the Viking Age, runes and people's lives. We talked about travel and contacts with other countries, how people could look for work far from home and the importance of status and social standing. We also heard about burial customs and what graves can tell us today.

It's easy to think of the Viking Age as a time of warriors and raiding parties, but here it becomes clear that the story is also about families, everyday life, crafts, trade and people trying to make a living.

And although the Viking village itself is a modern reconstruction, it is located in an area with real traces from the Iron Age. Right next door, in the Norr Malma nature reserve, is an old burial ground with a large number of graves.

This gives the place another dimension. Here you can both experience a recreated Viking environment and see remains of people who actually lived in the area during the Iron Age.

What can you do in the Storholmen Viking Village?

When the Storholmen Viking Village is open to the public during the summer, visitors can not only look at the buildings, but also participate in various activities.

Depending on the day's program, you can try traditional crafts, work with wool, create objects in clay or learn to write with runes. There are also games, music, storytelling and discussions about life and the world of imagination in the Viking Age.

Some activities include seeing blacksmithing or taking a hike to the nearby burial ground. There are also special events, courses and group tours during other parts of the year.

The beauty of this type of museum is that history becomes something you experience with multiple senses. You can smell the fire, hear the sounds of craftsmanship, and see how people work with materials and tools that were used long ago.

For families with children, it is of course extra fun to have the opportunity to try things out yourself, but even we adults find the living history very exciting!

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Pythagoras Industrial Museum is just one of many interesting places to visit in Norrtälje. The city has charming old wooden houses, cozy alleys, cafes and nice walking paths along the Norrtälje River. In the surrounding area, there are also nature reserves, historical sights and the Roslagen archipelago.

• Things to do in Norrtälje
• Pythagoras Industrial Museum
• Väddö sea baths and camping
• Norr Malma nature reserve
• Riddersholm Nature Reserve