Did you know that Denmark’s oldest town is a 7-hour drive from Utrecht. Colorful, historic and picturesque, that’s how Ribe is characterized. Ribe is also known as Viking Town and that is not for nothing. In and around Ribe many remains from the Viking age have been found.
And that brings us right to Ribe VikingeCenter. The moment you stand on the other side of the gate you go back in time, we are in Ripa, as Ribe was called in Viking times. The experience is immersive, as soon as you enter you will probably be greeted by the inhabitants of Ripa or see chickens walking around. By finds in and from the area, the entire center is built, everything is built in replica. To make the experience even greater and to get a real impression of life in this time there are activities throughout the season such as a Viking market with various products and crafts from this time. Or a Vikings fashion and clothing style day, where you can see how people made clothes, just coloring the fabrics is super fun to watch! For kids’ fun, you can buy an extra ticket for 60 DDK, with this you can have guided archery, minting and wood carving.
Roagervej 129 – Ribe
www.ribevikingecenter.dk
Now if you want to see some of the excavated finds from the Viking Age in real life, you can. These are safely stored in the historical museum. In addition, you can learn a lot about the origins of Ribe as the Viking settlement. It is not a large museum but it’s certainly fun and educational not only for adults but certainly worthwhile for children as well.
Odins Pl.1 – RibeIf you drive towards Ribe you will already see it! The Cathedral, located in the heart of Ribe. From where we parked our car, which is free -don’t forget your parking disc-, it is a gift to walk towards the center. Especially now in summer when all the hollyhocks and other plants are in full bloom’, the houses are even more beautiful than they usually are. The houses, many featuring centuries-old craftsmanship in all sorts of cheerful colors are eye-catching to say the least. The roads still have old clinkers, with the middle of the street higher than the sides. Did you know that this was done in the Middle Ages for a reason?
Garbage was thrown out of the windows into the street like that, allowing it to wash away down the sides of the houses. And when you walk down one of the nice, nowadays neatly clean streets, cast your gaze on the Cathedral. Centuries ago the Cathedral was built at the highest point of Ribe, but now you can see that it is lower than the other buildings. And that has a reason. In the past, during the Middle Ages, people were buried in and around the church. The richer one was, the closer one could afford a grave near the altar. Only the rich important people lay in that church. So that people could still smell you after you died. Have you ever heard of the saying “Stinking rich?”, which is also derived from this. But over the centuries the ground in and around the church became more and more soggy. Add to that all the garbage that was thrown on the streets! Ribe then got a cemetery just outside the city. All the dirty soil was dug up, including the graves in the Cathedral.
If you go to take a look inside the Cathedral -entrance is free-, you will also see that in addition to old tombstones on the floor, there are stones along the walls. These have always been preserved after the graves have been cleared.
The Cathedral was built between 1110 – 1134. Supposedly there was a small wooden church before this. You can visit it in the Viking Center, of which there is a replica. Above the choir in the church is a staircase with 248 steps to the Maria Tower. This tower is occasionally open for viewing. If you walk up you are guaranteed to be treated to a fantastic view of the centuries old streets and wide surroundings!
Anno 2024 Ribe, especially during vacation time, is a fine bustling town with lots of nice stores, museums, restaurants and ice cream parlors -I counted at least 3-! We opted for lunch at Sallys, a lunchroom and Bed and Breakfast in a historic building, where not only the sandwiches and cup of tea were delicious, but the Danish hygge was definitely palpable.
Hundegade 2 – RibeAre you on vacation with children? Then be sure to drive to the outskirts of Ribe, because here is Denmark’s largest playground. Free entrance and lots of climbing fun are guaranteed! You will find covered corners where you can sit yourself, with a great view of your playing child(ren). It is helpful to know that for toilet use you have to walk to the other side. Here is a large sports complex, where you can use the toilet freely.
Sportsvej – Ribe