Trelleborgen - Home of Vikings – Trelleborgen - Home of Vikings – Trelleborgen - Home of Vikings

Explore Trelleborgen with an exciting walking tour game

Disälv, a Viking Age seer, is worried about people forgetting the knowledge, faith and stories of her time. How lucky then, that she has met you! Disälv is convinced that you, just like her, have the gift of being able to see through time and space. With your help, Disälv can make sure that her stories won’t be forgotten.

Follow the threads of fate

You meet Disälv close to the Trellborgen fortress west gate, and together you follow Trelleborgen’s threads of fate through the city. Take part of Disälv’s knowledge in each location along the way through various game elements. You can examine items from archaeological sites, look out over the Viking Age shoreline, and explore theories of how the city got its name.

As you walk, Disälv tells you about the Viking Age way of life around the fortress, and about the visions she has been having about Trelleborg’s future. She also needs your help to hand over a gift to the people living in the eras after hers.

The StoryTourist app will show you the way

To walk this tour, you’ll download the user-friendly StoryTourist app. The app is equipped with a map, GPS, a narrator and digital guide which makes sure you walk in the right direction. Once you have purchased the tour it is yours to keep. You can use it at any time and as many times as you wish.

Through the StoryTourist-app, you’ll listen to Disälv’s story about the Trelleborgen fortress and the Viking Age people who lived in its vicinity. The only thing you need to be able to explore Trelleborg in a brand-new way is a smartphone with headphones.

This StoryTour has been developed in collaboration with Visit Trelleborg and the Viking Museum Trelleborgen. It will guide you in a circle from the Viking museum to the Franciscan monastery garden, St. Nicolai’s church and back to Trelleborgen. It’s a walk of 1,6 kilometers, which will take about one hour to finish. The tour is available in English, Swedish and German. Click the “Instructions” tab for more practical information.

Photos: Katie Wood and Andreas Jansson

Read this in — Deutsch, Svenska

How this tour works:

Your smartphone is your guide on this tour! Once you have purchased a tour, this is what you do:

Download the StoryTourist app from Apple App Store or Google Play, while connected to Wi-Fi.
Log into the app using the same email address you filled in when purchasing the tour. You will create your password the first time you log into the app. The tour you have purchased will be ready to download in the tour library once you have logged in. Make sure you are still connected to Wi-Fi while downloading the tour.
Go to the starting point of the tour, open the app, put your headphones on and head out on your StoryTour adventure!

Important information:

This is a location based experience. You have to be at the tour starting point at the Viking Museum in Trelleborg, Sweden, to start this walking tour.
Once the tour is downloaded to your phone, you can use it offline.
There is a map, GPS and a digital guide in the app, making sure that you’ll walk the right way.
This tour is available in English, German and Swedish.
Once you have purchased the tour, it is your to keep. You can use it whenever you want and as many times as you would like. You can start, pause and end the tour whenever you would like.
Public transport is available close to both the tour start point and end point.
This tour is not accessible with a wheelchair due to stairs and uneven terrain.
This tour is family friendly and recommended to people of all ages.

What to bring:

Your smartphone, with the StoryTourist app and the tour you purchased already downloaded.
Headphones, for the best possible listening experience
Make sure that your smartphone battery is fully charged. If you know that your phone has poor battery capacity, it can be a good idea to bring a powerbank as well.

The runestone

This is a modern day runestone. Runestones were often erected in memory of loved ones in the Viking age. It was also common to etch runes with everyday messages into pieces of wood.

The sacred tree

In Scandinavian history and folklore, trees have always been important. Farms and homes often had a special tree in a central location, protecting the home and bringing good fortune.

Trelleborgen fortress

The Trelleborgen fortress you see today was built in 1995 and is the only reconstructed Viking Age fortress in the world. It represents one fourth of the original 10th century fortress.

Katten city block

It was here in the Katten city block that the first findings of the Trelleborgen fortress moat were made. The paved line across the road represents the original placement of the fortress.

The monastery garden

The Franciscan monastery and its garden was built here in the mid-1200s. It was abandoned when the greyfriar monks were expelled during the reformation of the 1500s.

Viking Age memorial

Throughout the Middle Ages and up until modern day, Gamla torget square was the centre of Trelleborg. It was used as a marketplace, and today you can find a Viking Age memorial here.

The St. Nicolai Church

The medieval version of the St. Nicolai church was probably built in the late 1200s. The current church was constructed in 1883, but the church tower dates back to 1617.

Trelleborg Maritime Museum

This is the Trelleborg Maritime Museum. The office of the sugar factory used to be in this building, while the sugar factory itself was located where the Viking Museum is today.

The North Gate

The Trelleborgen fortress made it possible to keep control of travelers and their goods. The modern road you see going north is in the same location as where the Viking Age road was.

Trelleborg Viking Museum

This is the Trelleborg Viking Museum. Its exhibits tell the story of the Trelleborgen fortress and showcase archeological excavations. You also get an insight into Viking Age life.