Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Roar Ege, Helge Ask
and
Kraka Fyr
(reconstructions of Skuldelev 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 respect-
ively) are moored in the harbour, where you can really appreciate their light, flexible
designs.
In summer a shipwright, blacksmith, tar-burner, weaver, rope-maker and fletcher
demonstrate their crafts. Children can join in the fun by striking coins and painting their
own shields.
Boat Trips
If you've always had an urge to leap aboard a longboat for a spot of light pillaging, join
one of the museum's hour-long boat trips. Traditional Nordic boats are propelled across
the water by you and the rest of your shipmates.
From mid-May to the end of September, 50-minute trips run one to three times daily,
with an additional two to three trips daily from late June to mid-August, weather depend-
ent. Call ahead to confirm sailing times. Tickets (Dkr90) are additional to the main mu-
seum entry ticket.
Roskilde Domkirke
CATHEDRAL
9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 12.30-5pm Sun Apr-Sep, shorter hrs rest of yr)
Not merely the crème de la crème of Danish cathedrals, this twin-towered giant is a desig-
nated Unesco World Heritage site. Started by Bishop Absalon in 1170, the building has
been rebuilt and tweaked so many times that it's now a superb showcase of 800 years'
worth of Danish architecture. As the royal mausoleum, it contains the crypts of 37 Danish
kings and queens - contemplating the remains of so many powerful historical figures is a
moving memento mori.
No fewer than 11 spectacular chapels and crypts sprout from the main body of the
cathedral. The
chapel of King Christian IV
, off the northern side of the building, contains
the builder-king himself. His ocean-green coffin, surrounded by processing angels, is quite
low-key for such an extravagant monarch. Most of the decoration in the chapel - vast,
overly dramatic paintings of Christian's life surrounded by trompe l'oeil details - is actu-
ally from the 19th century, as the original sepulchre burned down a year before Christian's
death. The only contemporary features are the chapel gates, so ornate they were said to
