The Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking ship sailing in modern times, is making Salem, Massachusetts the next stop on her 2018 East Coast Tour! View the full schedule for the Draken Experience in Salem here.
The Draken will be arriving at Salem Maritime National Historic Site on Monday, August 6 at 6:30 pm. Her arrival is followed by a reception at the Regatta Pub in the Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites which will featuring specialty cocktails and tastings by Highland Park Whiskey.
On Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm guests are invited to tour the Draken to learn more about this ship and Viking history. Tickets for 30-minute tours of the ship are $12 for adults and $6 for children with family packages available. Purchase them online in advance or outside the ship.
In addition to tours, the Draken Village will be set up on Salem Maritime National Historic Site from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Draken Village includes immersive photo and video exhibitions on Viking history, modern explorers and the adventures of the Draken, and admission to the Village is free.
Captain Björn Ahlander is also hosting a lecture Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm at the Salem Regional Visitor Center which will give guests the opportunity to learn first-hand how he navigates the adventurous expeditions of the Draken. Admission to the lecture is $20 and tickets are also available online or outside the ship.
Construction on the Draken began eight years ago in a town called Haugesund in Western Norway. As the Vikings left little record of how they build their ships, the Draken was crafted by using archaeological knowledge of found ships and legends and histories learned from Norse sagas.
Named for Harald Hårfagre, the king who unified Norway into one kingdom, the ship measures 115 feet from stern to stern, is 26 feet wide, and uses 260 square meters of silk sail and a 79 foot tall mast made from Douglas fir. Her construction and voyages encompass an experimental archaeological research program aimed at recreating a vessel that would allow for similar voyages of the long ships in the Viking age.
You can learn more about the Draken’s construction and follow along on her voyages at drakenhh.com, and find more information about her visit to Salem on our events calendar.
Tags: History, Maritime, On the Water, Outdoor, Things To Do
