Spring Market Haithabu Vikings Museum

UNESCO World Heritage Site as a Market Backdrop

The Haithabu Vikings Museum near Busdorf in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg is one of Germany's most important archaeological museums. Together with the Danewerk, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2018. The Viking Age trading metropolis of Haithabu was excavated on this site — around 1,000 years ago, it was one of Northern Europe's most significant hubs where Scandinavians, Slavs, Frisians, and Saxons traded.

Seven Reconstructed Viking Houses

Seven Viking houses have been faithfully reconstructed on the museum grounds — residential houses, workshops, and a assembly hall. They stand precisely where archaeologists uncovered the original foundations. During the Spring Market, these houses are brought to life: re-enactors demonstrate crafts, cook over open fires, and explain daily Viking life.

100 Traders and Craftspeople

The market itself attracts over 100 market participants from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The offerings are consistently historical:

• Blacksmiths — ironware, jewelry, tools made with traditional craftsmanship
• Leatherwork — pouches, belts, shoes, quivers
• Textiles — woven fabrics, wool clothing, cloaks with bone clasters
• Jewelry — bronze and silver works, amber, glass beads
• Wood and Woodturning — bowls, cups, toys
• Bone and Horn work — combs, dice, buttons
• Mead and Food — mead, Viking bread, grilled meat, soups

Camp Life and Demonstrations

In addition to the market, a Viking camp is set up: re-enactors in historical attire live authentically over the four days — they cook, forge, weave, fight, and practice archery and spear throwing. Demonstrations showcase traditional crafts — iron production in a bloomery furnace, coin minting, glass bead making. Occasional show fights also take place.

Location and History of the Site

Haithabu is located directly on the Schlei, the long Baltic Sea fjord, where the Viking Age city flourished between the 8th and 11th centuries. At its peak, around 1,500–2,000 people lived here — making it the largest city in Northern Europe. Today, the museum is situated directly on the B76 between Schleswig and Kappeln and is part of an extensive archaeological park with ramparts, a harbor reconstruction, and walking paths.

Previous Market Editions

Past editions of the Spring Market attracted around 14,500 visitors — a remarkable number for a place of this size and an indication of the market's supra-regional importance for the Viking and re-enactment scene.