Autumn Fair at Haithabu Viking Museum

Haithabu — the Famous Viking Town

Haithabu (Old Norse Heiðabýr) was one of Northern Europe's most important trading towns in the early Middle Ages and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. On a peninsula at the southern end of the Schlei, in what is now the Schleswig-Flensburg district of Schleswig-Holstein, Vikings operated a bustling port town between the 8th and 11th centuries, with connections reaching as far as Baghdad. Today's Haithabu Viking Museum, with its reconstructed Viking houses, brings this world to life at its original location.

Autumn Fair: A Market with Atmosphere

The Herbstmesse is the museum's final major seasonal event. In the Viking village by the water, craftspeople and traders set up their stalls — many in historical attire, with a workshop feel: here a bronze caster at the smelting furnace, there a wool processor with a spinning wheel and loom, next to them a woodturner with a drill, a blacksmith at the forge. Complementing this are food producers offering game sausages, smoked fish, honey, and mead. The style ranges from strict reenactment to contemporary crafts with historical inspiration.

What's on Offer

In addition to the market, the reconstructed Viking houses offer insight into the daily life of the early medieval port town. The permanent exhibition and special guided tours run in the museum opposite. At the campfires in the Viking village, reenactors demonstrate everyday activities — cooking, weaving, blacksmithing, and child-rearing. There are hands-on activities for children.

Practical Information

Admission is €12 for adults, €4 for children. The fair is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Dogs are not allowed on the museum grounds. It is approximately a 20-minute walk from the museum car park on the B76 to the Viking houses.