Open today 10 am - 5 pm

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Opening Hours

Monday: 10 am - 5 pm
Tuesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 5 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 5 pm
Friday: 10 am - 5 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday: 10 am - 5 pm
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Middle Ages
Years 1050-1500

Ribe – a center of power in the corner of Europe

In the Middle Ages, Ribe became a center of power in Denmark with connections to all of Europe. Take a dramatic journey through medieval Ribe and learn about faith, power, trade - and everyday life in the metropolis of the time

 

The metropolis on the Wadden Sea

Ribe is perfectly located. From the river there is a connection to the Wadden Sea. From the Wadden Sea there is a connection to the open sea. And from the open sea, the world lies open.

 

Immerse yourself in the story of medieval Ribe, where exquisite goods, building materials and new crafts come in with the tide - and learn more about why Ribe became one of the most important trading towns in the Nordic region and the most cosmopolitan city in the Kingdom of Denmark.

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From Thor and Odin to one god

Ribe was founded by the Vikings, but it was the Christians who really made the city a powerhouse - and throughout the Middle Ages, the former Viking town developed into a center for the powerful Catholic Church - with all the royal connections, wealth and power struggles that entails.

 

Dive into the fascinating stories of the church, monasteries, monks and faith that transformed Ribe and changed Danish history.

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Amazing finds from Ribe

The number of game pieces archaeologists have found in the ground beneath the town suggests that games - including mill, checkers and chess - were extremely popular in medieval Ribe. The game pieces were made from many different materials, including amber, bone and deer antler.

Game pieces

Skull with fang marks

Ribes seal

Europe is coming to Ribe

Nalbound mitten

The number of game pieces archaeologists have found in the ground beneath the town suggests that games - including mill, checkers and chess - were extremely popular in medieval Ribe. The game pieces were made from many different materials, including amber, bone and deer antler.
Game pieces
In 1247, war raged between King Erik Plovpenning and his brother Duke Abel in Ribe, and twice that year the town changed lords. Many residents of Ribe died in the battles - killed either by swordplay, bow and arrow or by the dreaded crossbow. This man probably ended his days after a sword blow to the head. He was buried in the cemetery of Gråbrødre Kloster.
Skull with fang marks
A seal was the medieval signature, and the town seal of Ribe was used to confirm that a document was genuine. The seal of the town of Ribe features the cathedral and the three lions from the arms of Denmark, showing that Ribe was part of the Danish kingdom. The seal stamp is made of gilded silver and dates from around 1300.
Ribes seal
In the Middle Ages, exquisite trade goods from all over Europe came to Ribe, including this beautiful jug from Rouen in northern France. Around 1200, it was on the table of a merchant who lived in the western part of Ribe, where Gråbrødre Kloster was later located. The jug was found in 1993 in a broken state at the bottom of a rubbish pit.
Europe is coming to Ribe
Very few organic objects survive almost a thousand years in the ground. Under parts of Ribe, the cultural layers are very well preserved and oxygen-poor. That's why this nalbound mitten has been able to survive in the ground. The mitten is carbon-14 dated and dates from the 12th century.
Nalbound mitten
1 Game pieces
2 Skull with fang marks
3 Ribes seal
4 Europe is coming to Ribe
5 Nalbound mitten

Life and death

What was daily life really like in medieval Ribe?

 

Follow us into the kitchen, workshops, sauna and church and experience life as it was lived. Meet an everyday life characterized by hard work and strong faith, community and great contrasts - where illness and death are never far away.

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