Vikings in Poland? Scandinavian monuments from Polish lands

The Vikings are a subject that has long excited and aroused great interest among enthusiasts, especially in the aspect of the art of war and the conquests of European peoples. The extremely rich Viking mythology stimulates the imagination of writers and filmmakers. Closer acquaintance with it, especially traces related to the finds discovered on the territory of modern Poland will be made possible by a temporary exhibition under the perverse title “Vikings in Poland?”. The exhibition, prepared in cooperation with the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in Gniezno and the Center for Medieval Archaeology of the Baltic Countries of the IAE PAS in Szczecin, tells not only about the Vikings, but also about the inhabitants of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, from which these fearsome warriors originated. It tells of newcomers reaching the lands of today’s Poland centuries ago directly from the Scandinavian Peninsula. In addition to the “silent” artifacts themselves, the exhibition seeks to provide answers to some important questions about the scale and nature of the Scandinavian presence on Polish soil during the early Middle Ages.

The exhibition includes about 100 original relics related to the culture of early medieval Scandinavia, including swords, axes, spearheads, but also ornaments and objects of daily use. All of them were found on the territory of present-day Poland. This is a large part of the total collection of objects, considered Scandinavian or very clearly modeled on them, which are in Polish museums and scientific institutions. The exhibition also tells the story of what happened in the territories of present-day Poland in the period from the 9th to the 12th centuries, that is, during the formation of the Polish state. It will also attempt to find connections between the Vikings and the Polish rulers of that era.