The Viking influence in York spanned at least two centuries. A coalition of Norse warriors from Denmark and Norway, known as "The Great Heathen Army", captured this area in 866 AD and developed it into a trade center that reached all the way to the Byzantine Empire. They were finally driven out by the English in 954 AD. Over a thousand years later, excavations discovered Viking-age remains of workshops, houses, and backyards in Coppergate, near the city center. More than 40,000 Viking artifacts were uncovered during the excavations, making this one of the most important archeological findings of modern times. The York Archeological Trust used these artifacts to re-create an authentic looking Viking Village, known as the Jorvik Center (after the Viking name for the area), on the site where they were found. The Center was opened to the public in April, 1984 and has had over 20 million visitors. In December of 2015, a major flood throughout York did extensive damage to the Jorvik Center. Restorations to the museum are expected to be completed by the Spring of 2017. In the meantime, a temporary exhibit of items saved from the flood was created a few doors away. The Jorvik Center in the Coppergate section of York. Part of the re-created Viking Village at the center. The presentation of ninth century Viking village life in Jorvik (York) was called a "time-warp". This is a 1970's photograph of the excavations that produced the 40,000 Viking-age artifacts... ...and this one shows how massive the excavation site was. Archival photos show how the 2015 flood devastated much of the Jorvik Center... ...and severely damaged many of the exhibits. A temporary exhibit area was set up a few doors down the street from the Jorvik Center with items salvaged from the flood. One of the market stalls in the temporary exhibit. I am not sure what kind of fish these are, but they don't look very appetizing. Some of these exhibits include live actors... ...who can interact with visitors, and provide details about ninth century life in the Viking village of Jorvik. While much was salvaged, we would love to come back to see the fully restored Jorvik center and lear more of the Viking influence on York.
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Carl and Lorraine Aveni are two retirees planning on traveling through Europe for at least one year.
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