In the wetlands, 80 kilometres northeast of Poznań, 1933, a local school teacher, Walentin Szwajcer, discovered traces of a wooden settlement at Biskupin. The year after, the influential archaeologists Kostrzewski and Rajewski started large scale excavations. By the beginning of WWII, 2500 square metres were unearthed. The excavations drew the attention of the national establishment and the site has played a role in Polish historical consciousness ever since although the Lusatian Culture (Late Brozne Age, Early Iron Age) are not the direct forebears of the present day Polish population.

The site l’Esquerda represents the Iberian Era (5th – 1st century BC) as well as the period between the 7th and 14th century AD. The area presented is the Plana de Vic, and the valley of the river Ter, all 70 km north from Barcelona, in the inner lands of Catalonia.

The Lejre Centre, near Roskilde, is the oldest one in Denmark and over decades, has been example to many. The extensive site was in the 1960s scene for an experimental archaeology village, later followed by an experiment in ethnographic education and now famous for its Iron Age scenery as well as Mesolithic, Viking Age and post medieval area. There are some buildings with craft’s workshops on textiles, forging, ceramics et cetera. The surrounding landscape is an important asset as well as the animals, among others aurochs and sheep.

Hvolris is an excursion site where you can find culture, nature and sculpture, plenty to see. It covers the area around a small river valley, of the Skals river. Although the oldest remains date to Stone Age, most archaeological material is Iron Age or younger.

Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) is situated in the Northeast of the country, bordering with both the Czech republic and Slovakia and counts over 1.5 million inhabitants. Vienna is a separate county – an island within Lower Austria. The state is very rich in archaeological finds, both of local and foreign production.

In 1996, two enthusiasts got the initiative to start a Viking village at the site where previously 199 Iron Age / Viking Age (800-1000 AD) burial mounds were discovered. They soon started cooperation with two local association: the “Aquila Maritimus forn- och medeltidsförening” and the “Roslagens turistintressenter”. Then the foundation Stiftelsen Storholmen Norden was formed, that runs Storholmen today. At the beginning, there was no money.

Kanzach is a small village north of the Federsee in Southern Germany, counting about 500 inhabitants. In the years 2000-2004, a LEADER+ EU project was taking place here, resulting in a tourist attraction at the country side: a reconstruction of a small stronghold of the lower nobility as it could have been in the 14th century. The village’s own original “Bachritterburg” has not been excavated, therefore, main sources came from the region. It has cost about 2 million Euro to build the wooden tower and adjacent buildings, but the museum has attracted many more visitors than planned.

The Heltborg Museum is in the Thisted region in Northern Jutland and is active in researching and presenting local history and archaeology. Part of the museum is a Iron Age Farm which exists of several houses. This historical workshop is used by school groups – a demanding program requires a full day in the field with processing food, construction of houses and learning several crafts. In Summer Holidays, “prehistoric families” live here and show the Iron Age life. The site is also used for seminars for adult groups, including archaeologists.

Curia Vitkov is run by an association of about 20 volunteers. The area of 2 hectares exists of a crafts village with 3 houses and 4 other constructions (e.g. forgery, shed with baking oven). Besides that, there is the Curia which exists of a nobleman’s house, 2 tower gates and palisade and 4 houses in various stages of construction. The buildings represent typical buildings of this period according to the type of settlement. They are not based on single excavations.

At Årsunda, you can visit the Viking Farm Årsjögård. Here you are in the middle of the Land of Iron, in the heart of the province of Gästrikland. You will experience cultural history in an exciting, informative and living way. The Viking Farm offers a variety of activities where theory and practice are mixed in a pedagogic way to stimulate all senses.
The Årsunda Viking project was initiated by the city of Sandviken in 1993 as an act to create job opportunities in Årsunda with the aim to create a tourist attraction.
The project has three cornerstones that complement each other: