 Aerial view of the Viking ring fortress of Fyrkat. The circular geometry is evident. | |
  Location of the site in Denmark | |
| Location | Jutland, Denmark |
|---|---|
| Type | Viking ring fortress |
| History | |
| Founded | c. 980 |
| Periods | Iron Age, Viking Age |
| Criteria | Cultural: |
| Designated | 2023 (45th session) |
| Part of | Viking-Age Ring Fortresses |
| Reference no. | 1660-001 |
Fyrkat is a former Viking ring castle in Denmark, dating from c. 980 AD. It is located near the town of Hobro, some distance from the present end of the Mariager Fjord in Northern Jutland. The fortress is built on a narrow piece of land, with a stream on one side and swampy area on the other sides. Likely built during the reign of Harald Gormsson or his son Sweyn Forkbeard, the fortress may have served as barracks or as a defensive stronghold. It would have help to enable control of the traffic on the main land-based trading route between Aalborg and Aarhus. Because of its unique architecture and testimony to the strategic power of the House of Knýtlinga (Jelling dynasty), Fyrkat was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List along with four other Viking ring castles in 2023.[1]
- ^ Viking-Age Ring Fortresses, UNESCO World Heritage Centre, retrieved 24 January 2024 – via whc.unesco.org