Trelleborgen is a reconstruction built in 1995 of a quarter of the historic ringwall fort discovered during archaeological excavations in Trelleborg during the late 1980s. It is part of a system of fortifications. Other forts in the complex include Aggersborg, Fyrkat, Nonnebakken, Trelleborg near Slagelse, and Borgeby.
The fort is probably one of the fortifications of Harald Blåtand, though C14 samples suggest a likely age of around 974–980. Harald Blåtand was king of Denmark and Skåne and needed these forts to control the land, including against his son Sven Tveskägg, who rebelled. After the following civil war, Harald was murdered, and the fort in Trelleborg fell into disrepair while other trelleborgs were burned.
The remains of Trelleborgen were discovered during archaeological investigations starting in the summer of 1988. The fort was dug up by the archaeologist Bengt Jacobsson. The reconstruction was carried out by archaeologist Eje Arén and architect Eva Arén, using logs for the palisade that were cut from forests near the Scania castles. The reconstructed fort was inaugurated in June 1995 and features a Viking museum and several reconstructed Viking houses.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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