We visited the Land of the Legends for the first time on 20 July 2017 during its Stoneage Festival, and we must say that this is by-far the best outdoor museums we have visited in Denmark. We were very impressed. There were so many hands-on activities for both kids and adults (keep an eye on the website for the next festival in 2018). And the admission fee is very low, 150 DKK for adult and 95 DKK for child (3-11 years), and it is even an automatic year card. All the activities are free, once entrance is paid.
Since it was during the Stoneage Festival, there were also vikings that came all over Europe, some from the UK. We met this viking lady who sewed her own viking clothes and boots, some were experts in carving flintstones into knives. Many of these activities were done right on the spot, so we could see it first hand.
If there is only one place you could visit in Denmark, I would definitely say this is THE place :-)
In its website calendar, you can see the program for the activities of the day in the park. Below is a sample of how the program looks like:
20 July 2017 (8Y4M15D) Our Little FECS enjoying a story-telling by a viking volunteer
The vikings making accessories out of seashells with the children...
Cracking hazelnuts with a stone... just like during the viking days.... and it my surprise, it was very easy... hey who needs sophisticated and expensive nut-cracker from now on???
A viking lady bringing out the meat for cooking over fire... and we all would get to taste for free what food taste like during the Stoneage... we couldn't wait!!!
Now they were almost ready... roasting wild meat over fire...
Cutting a piece of meat for us... we tasted it... we were told these were deer meat... interesting :-)
Our Little FECS got a hand at trying out to roast a piece of meat...
And he was brave enough to try it too :-) Well done Little FECS :-)
Here are the flint-stone knives... we were told that they were many times sharper than metal knives... and children were not allowed to handle them
Look.... what's that sticks sticking out... they are hunting traps for the animals during the stone-age time :-)
Here were all the international vikings coming from all over Europe and gathered her for a week. This was how they lived and slept during the week... wow...
A viking couple... and they were so authentic... you could feel their passion in living out the viking life-style...
This viking man is an expert in making knives out of flint-stones... and boy... the finished work cost between 700 DKK to 3500 DKK and more!!! Apparently, it is a very time-consuming work and a lot of hard work, and thus the high cost. We could not afford to buy one, even though our Little FECS really wanted to have a flint-stone knife :-(
Next, clothings made from animal skins and fur, all by hand by this viking lady from the UK
Vivking coat she was wearing was handmade by her... wow...
These are the sewing kits used to make the leather viking clothes... so interesting!!! Yes, they are using traditional viking tools to sew viking clothes... how authentic could it be :-)
Baby FECS got some sensory experience touching the fur skin too :-)
Wow... these are large fur skin Baby FECS was trying to touch :-)
Walking along the fields, we saw some lambs... Baby FECS was very thrilled :-)
Here are some viking children living in the farm houses... wait, did I say living in the farm houses??? Yes, each year for a week, the museum invite viking families who are interested in staying in the ancient farmhouses as part of their vacation experience... and it is not that easy to do so. You have to apply months in advance with a motivation letter and you need to fulfill some criteria... such as living really like a viking, gathering grains, cooking them the viking way... really living back to basics... and you must enjoy the museum visitors watching you and asking you questions etc. And it isn't cheap to live there for a week.
Baby FECS was very excited about the geese... she started chasing them... until they came chasing her and biting her... then she ran away and got scared.
These geese were definitely not timid and can be rather assertive (although I won't say they were fierce)
But they were so cute... after regaining her composition, Baby FECS went back to playing with the geese again.
Behind is the farm house and its residents... children who visit could also dress up as traditional farmer children from the basket of props placed just outside the farm house.
Playing viking bowling... see if you could hit the pin from the string hanging from above :-)
Our Little FECS trying to throw a viking spear...
Remember David and Goliath? Stones were important weapons in the viking times. Our Little FECS trying to throw a stone at the target.
What's that? Fishing for gold...
In this archaeological playground, our Little FECS was trying to find all kinds of archaeological findings... and he was most thrilled to find the coins...
Our Baby FECS wanted to play too... she found some human skeletals
Aaawww... Baby FECS just loved this simple wooden swing...
Fancy chopping wood just like in the olden days? Our Little FECS was very thrilled to get a try at it... Verdict: He said that it was pure hard work to be a viking... just to get a daily life to work...
Grinding some corns to make flour, otherwise the viking would not have dinner tonight... here we are complaining about having to make dinner every day. In the viking times, they would have to take the whole day just to prepare a meal!!!
Cheeky Baby FECS preferred to sit on the grinding stone... even though I told her that it was only for food, not for buttocks!!!
It was very nice that there were quite a number of fireplaces and with all the fire already started up all ready for visitors. And you can borrow the wooden sticks too. This I read from their website. So I prepared some dough to make "snobrød," traditional Danish twistbread-on-a-stick... yummy, it tasted delicious :-)
Our Little FECS got to try out paddling the dug-out wooden boat like the olden days canoe... he said that they didn't go very fast. Our Little FECS started to appreciate canoe more, and won't complain about canoe going slow anymore :-)
It is also very educational with colorful and attractive information signages. All their signs are attractively made complete with pictures and even in two languages - English or Danish
We learned so much about the history of stone-age, iron-age and the viking era:
We spent a day there, and we did not get to see everything. We didn't manage to try the pottery activity. So we hope to go there again.
Cost:
It costs 150 DKK for adult and 95 DKK for child (5-11 years old) and student, but you get limitless entry for the whole year. Once entrance fee is paid, all the activities are free.
Free Entrance:
However, there is free entrance during the Christmas season for the weekends in the month of December. There is a Christmas market and some interesting Christmas activity such as making candy the way the vikings made them. Check their December calendar for more details.
Address:
Slangealleen 2, 4320 Lejre
Parking:
It takes between 30-40 minutes drive from Copenhagen and there are plenty of parking just outside the museum and it is free.
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