Ringborgen Fyrkat

The ring fortress at Fyrkat was built around the year 980 near Onsild Å during the reign of Harald Blåtand. It was possible to take ships all the way up to the castle from Mariager Fjord through Vestre Fjord and Onsild Å.

When the castle complex was excavated in the 1950s, the original rampart, which had been built of turf and oak palisades, had almost been completely leveled due to farming on the site. The rampart has since been reconstructed so that today it appears clearly in the landscape. The earthen rampart has a circumference of almost 450 metres. Within the rampart, the longhouses the archaeologists found traces of are marked. Three of the total of four squares with four longhouses each have been excavated, while the last one is waiting for the archaeologists to one day in the future have new methods that can contribute with new knowledge about the site.

Reconstruction

A longhouse similar to one of those that was inside Fyrkat has been reconstructed and built outside the castle. The house is built of oak, is 28.5 meters long and 7.4 meters wide. In the area between Fyrkat and the reconstructed longhouse is the burial ground. Around 30 men, women and children were buried here while the castle was in use. Among them, a grave was found which stands out from the other graves known from the period. The woman in the grave is today known as the Werewolf from Fyrkat.

Approximately 1 kilometer before you reach the castle along Fyrkatvej, you will find Stormandsgården – a reconstructed Viking farm based on finds in Vorbasse. The farm, which consists of nine houses for living and workshops, including a forge, is built of oak with clay-clad walls and thatched roofs and gives an insight into everyday life.