”With the funding we have received from Vestfold County Council, donations from private citizens, companies and other foundations this means that we can start building the Viking ship in the month of June.”

”The decision made in Tønsberg city council was the very best Christmas present we could ever wish for and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the politicians of our city for taking the long view. We are confident that the building process itself and the completed ship will make a positive contribution to the cultural life of Tønsberg. This will definitely put our city on the map as the place to visit if you are interested in the Viking Age. No other county can compete with Vestfold in its plethora of Viking remains and finds, and we are now about to visualise this," says Geir Røvik.

 

Gripping his axe: In June, Geir Røvik and the other boat builders in the foundation will be whetting their axes This is when the building of the new Oseberg Ship begins – on the lawn outside Quality Oseberg Hotel.

 

"This is a fantastic boost to our efforts to build a full-scale replica of the Oseberg ship,” said former leader of the Foundation, Erik S. Reinert. "We are so incredibly happy that the politicians of Vestfold County and its administration understand the significance of Vestfold owning a true replica of Norway’s foremost national icon.”

 

Our national icon: Finally, it appears that Vestfold will be able to realise its very own Viking ship, just over a hundred years after the original was dug out of a mound in the Slagen Valley.