The Viking Village located by the Pirita River offers food, sightseeing, experiential accommodation and various recreational activities inspired by the Viking culture of 8th to 11th century Estonia.
The story of the Viking Village began in 2006, when Steve Hindrekson and Riho Neem decided to build a village themed after the Estonian Viking Age on the bank of the Pirita River.
But why build the Viking Village 30 kilometres from the seashore of Tallinn? That’s because we firmly believe that Estonian Vikings sailed along this river and the distance from the sea served as a useful buttress to keep enemy raiders from charging straight into the Viking homes of 1,000 years ago. The ancient treasure uncovered at Kose in 1984 included a wealth of Viking-era coins, some of which are of Arabic origin. A number of ancient objects, sacrificial stones and other archaeological finds also allude to a dense and wealthy population that lived in this region in those distant days.
The Viking Village was built with the aim of teaching and showing visitors what ancient Viking life was like. A scenic location and authentically styled buildings offer visitors a place to relax, learn about themselves and the environment, take a break from fast-paced modern life and discover the Viking within themselves.
The Viking Village is open all year round and offers both physical activities as well as leisure facilities for the young, the old, friends and colleagues, smaller and larger groups for shorter and longer periods.
If you’ve got a hankering for some good food, come visit the Viking Village Tavern, where the meals are mouth-watering and the servings so big that even the hungriest of warriors will struggle to empty their plates to avoid offending Thor. Those who wish can reel out their own meal from the fish pond next to the Tavern and have the catch grilled or smoked.
Those who like the unique atmosphere of the Viking Village can use the outbuilding next to the Tavern (which, surprisingly, is much bigger than the Tavern itself) to hold a seminar, training session, birthday party or family celebration – there is plenty of space for everyone.
The Viking Village also offers a number of experiential accommodation options – accommodation can be provided for up to 90 Vikings. The most demanding customers can make use of the privacy of the Kings’ House, which is equipped with a sauna, picture and music box (TV and stereo), fireplace and frost chamber (refrigerator), i.e. all the amenities a modern king could need. Above the Cave Sauna, meanwhile, visitors can spend the night in sleeping stalls, which are all named for their designated inhabitants: ‘Pigs’, ‘Sheep’, ‘Roosters’, ‘Cats’.
In addition, we offer a wide range of recreational activities. Before or after filling your belly, we recommend exploring the various sights and locations around the village. These are spread throughout the village and finding them is an experience in itself. You can also go for a scenic stroll in nature or hike to the Blue Springs of Saula, which are only a 15-minute walk from the Viking Village.
For serious Viking enthusiasts, we offer a variety of historically themed activity packages, which are suitable for both smaller and larger groups and can last anywhere from half an hour to a whole day.
This includes instruction by our experts in the use of ancient weapons, learning various dances, songs and games, listening to or watching presentations on the Viking Age in Estonia, braiding a rope charm and taking part in a treasure hunt on a Viking ship. In our vertical log fortress, visitors can try their hand at shooting a bow and throwing axes and spears. Those who love action and adventure can put their Viking spirit to the test in a fortress-capturing battle complete with catapults and a battering ram.
After a hard day of work or an intense battle, visitors can relax in the steam rooms in our cave sauna, juniper sauna or smoke sauna as well as in a barrel hot tub (or ‘devil’s kettle’) out front. In the winter, the cave sauna is something everyone should experience: first, melt the frost off your skin in the legendary heat of the cave sauna’s steam room, then dive into an ice hole and warm yourself up again in our devil’s kettle under the starry open sky unspoiled by urban light pollution.
Currently, the Viking Village as planned is only half-finished. In the near future, we intend to build a Chieftains’ House, where visitors can hold various events and celebrations, enjoy a hot sauna and relax with friends and family. In front of the ancient fortress, we have built a fairground or battleground, where we are planning to hold small concerts and theatrical plays for visitors. In addition, we will be building an underground time tunnel, which will lead to an authentic Viking Village, where inhabitants will be sleeping under skins, smelting iron from bog ore and roasting meat over campfires, while singing ancient runic songs.
The Viking Village aims to reveal both the spiritual and physical side of ancient Estonia. Our mission is to do everything in our power to ensure that this part of our culture is recognised for its true significance and to teach this through authentically styled infrastructure, programmes and training courses.
Long live Odin, the All-father!