Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kaupang (admission free)
,5kmeast ofLarvik, wasaformerVikingtownbuilt around
AD 800 and occupied until 960. It is believed that up to 1000 people lived here in its hey-
day. For us, this is the most interesting of Larvik's sights. Although most of the original
artefacts are now in Oslo, the custodians of the site make the most of what they have with
a small exhibition, four Viking tents and knowledgeable guides dressed as Vikings who
can show you to nearby Viking graves and explain Kaupang's past. On Wednesday (family
day) and weekends, they cook Viking soup and bread. The guides can also tell you where
to find other Viking cemeteries in the Larvik area.
Kulturhaus Bølgen
CULTURAL CENTRE
(
www.kulturhausbolgen.no
,
in Norwegian; Larvik Kulturhus Bølgen; 1-8pm)
The
town's swish new wave-shaped cultural centre houses a cafe and cinema (screening non-
dubbed films) on the ground floor and, more interestingly, a contemporary art gallery on
the2ndfloorthathasfrequently changingexhibitions highlighting thebestnewartcoming
out of Norway.
THOR HEYERDAHL
Larvik's favourite son was the intrepid and controversial Thor Heyerdahl
(1914-2002), a quirky scientist, anthropologist and explorer who spent his lifetime
trying to prove that the world's oceans were vast highways that were essential to un-
derstanding ancient civilisations - a novel idea in the hallowed halls of scientific re-
search.
In 1947 he sailed 6000km in a balsa-wood raft, the
Kon-Tiki,
from Peru to Polyne-
sia to prove that the South Pacific may have been settled by migrants from South
America rather than Asia. His theories were supported by discoveries of similar
fauna and cultural artefacts in Polynesia and South America, and by the fact that Pa-
cific Ocean currents run east to west. The film of his journey won an Oscar in 1951
for best documentary and his medal-winning bravery in resisting the Nazis only ad-
ded to his legend. His book describing the expedition sold an astonishing 60 million
copies worldwide. The actual
Kon-Tiki
ship is on display at the Kon-Tiki Museum in
Oslo (
Click here
).
After being one of the first Europeans to excavate on the Galapagos and Easter Is-
lands, Heyerdahl again grabbed international attention in 1970 when he crossed the
Atlantic in a papyrus raft. His purpose was to prove that Columbus may not have
