7/25 Day trip to Roskilde

I've really enjoyed our excursions in and around Denmark for the past two weekends; it's always nice to go beyond the typical touristy, metropolitan areas and explore other historically rich sites. While Copenhagen is certainly the heart of the country, Odense, Helsingør and Helsinborg each had its own unique small town flavor and we all loved their own cultural heritage.

The day after our visit to Kronborg, I headed out for another excursion to Roskilde (recommended by my Danish classmates), a historically rich city that dates back to the Viking Age. Formerly the medieval capital of Denmark until the year of 1443, Roskilde is now the tenth largest city of Denmark and the second largest in Zealand. Since 1971, it hosts the annual Roskilde Festival, one of the largest music festivals in Europe featuring a variety of music such as rock, metal, electronica, dance, and hip-hop. It was a pity that the festival this year ended five days before I came to Denmark...

Since it was a Sunday, most of the stores were closed by the time I arrived and there was a huge contrast between its small-town feel and the big-city scene in Copenhagen. With plenty of spare time at my disposal, I leisurely strolled down the pedestrian street and enjoyed the nice serenity of the atmosphere. When I walked by the Roskilde Cathedral (Roskilde Domkirke), there was a long line of tourists waiting to see the interior of the church. As one of the landmarks in Roskilde, this Gothic-style brick cathedral was built early in the 12th and 13th centuries and remained the sole cathedral in Zealand until the 20th century. It has also been recognized as one of the World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO since 1995, notable for being the burial site of many Danish monarchs since the 15th century.

I continued walking down the pedestrian street towards the harbor, where the famous Viking Ship Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseet) is located. The collection of Viking ships (Skuldelev ships) displayed there was really incredible, ranging from cargo-ships, longships, to warships. One of them, named Havhingsten fra Glendalough (meaning "Sea Stallion from Glendalough"), situated majestically on the ground and stole the spotlight by its rich colors and pure magnitude. I found myself staring at its beauty for a good while. Even though the ship we see today is a reconstruction, it is the largest replica Viking ship every built (29 meters long and can carry 60 oarsmen)! The original Sea Stallion was built in Dublin, Ireland circa 1042 with oak from Glendalough in County Wicklow (hence the name). According to the museum, the Sea Stallion embarked on a voyage to Dublin in 2007 and made its way back to Roskilde in the following year.


Despite the tourist information center and other local shops being closed early on Sunday, I was thoroughly delighted to spend my entire afternoon in Roskilde. Next time when I come to Denmark for vacation, I'll for sure pay this beautiful town another visit and make sure that I don't miss out on the Roskilde Festival!