Since the 19th century, when the Icelandic Sagas were made available in translated and printed editions and the first Viking ships were unearthed, the Viking Age has been an historical period of worldwide fascination. The Viking Age has not only been crucially important in defining the national heritage of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, the period has also been closely connected with the development of the scientific discipline of archaeology in Northern Europe.
This nomination presents some of the most scientifically important sites from the Viking Age, considered to be a vital part of the history of humanity. The transnational serial property Viking Age Sites in Northern Europe consists of seven component parts located in the five countries Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Latvia and Norway. Thus, the component parts are from what is regarded as the core area of Scandinavian settlement during the Viking Age: Scandinavia and the North Atlantic islands – complemented by a component part from the area of interaction with other cultural groups. All of the component parts are monumental archaeological sites or groups of sites dated to the 8th – 11th century AD, in other words the period most commonly referred to as the 'Viking Age' in the geo-cultural region of Northern Europe.
Author(s): Agnes Stefánsdóttir, Matthias Malück (eds.)
Publisher: The Cultural Heritage Agency of Iceland
Year: 2014
Language: English
Pages: 484
City: Reykjavík
Foreword 3
Acknowledgements 4
Executive summary 9
1. Identification of the property 37
2. Description of Viking age sites in Northern Europe 63
2.a. Description of the serial property 65
2.b. History and development 129
3. Justification for inscription 169
3.1.a. Brief synthesis 171
3.1.b. Criteria under which inscription is proposed 174
3.1.c. Statement of integrity 177
3.1.d. Statement of authenticity 185
3.1.e. Protection and management requirements 191
3.2. Comparative analysis 193
3.3. Proposed statement of Outstanding Universal Value 246
4. State of conservation and factors affecting the property 251
4.a. Present state of conservation 253
4.b. Factors affecting the property 262
5. Protection and management of the property 283
5.a. Ownership 287
5.b. Protective designation 289
5.c. Means of implementing protective measures 293
5.d. Existing plans related to the municipality and region in which the proposed component parts are located 305
5.e. Property management plan or other management system 315
5.f. Sources and levels of finance 327
5.g. Sources of expertise and training in conservation and management techniques 331
5.h. Visitor facilities and infrastructure 335
5.i. Policies and programmes related to the presentation and promotion of the property 340
5.j. Staffing levels and expertise (professional, technical, maintenance) 347
6. Monitoring 351
6.a. Key indicators for measuring state of conservation 353
6.b. Administrative arrangements for monitoring the property 361
6.c. Results of previous reporting exercises 363
7. Documentation 367
7.a. Photographs, slides, image inventory and authorisation table and other audiovisual materials 369
7.b. Texts relating to protective designation, copies of property management plans or documented management systems and extracts of other plans relevant to the property 381
7.c. Form and date of most recent records or inventory of property 383
7.d. Address where inventory, records and archives are held 386
7.e. Bibliography 388
8. Contact information of responsible authorities 415
Preparer 417
Official local institution/agency for the nominated property 417
Official web address 417
Official local institutions for each state party 417
Contact information for individual sites 418
9. Signatures on behalf of the states parties 423
List of figures 431
ANNEXES (44 p.)
Annex to chapter 1 4
Annex to chapter 3 5
Annex to chapter 7a 34
Annex to chapter 7b 44
