History buffs and those into Viking culture would know about Trelleborg, one of the six Viking ring fortresses and the first ever to be discovered in Denmark. Located in Northwest Zealand near Slagelse and straddled between two streams, the fortress is said to have been built around 900 A.D. by Harald I, son of Gorm the Old. It is basically a circular fortress with two roads crossing at right angles and four gates which are connected by wooden blocked streets intersecting at the center of the fortress. With this type of geometrical symmetry, the fort is then divided into four equal parts or squares, with each part holding four longhouses or buildings made of oak. What’s unique about the Trelleborg is that it has an extension of the bailey, a section of which was used as a cemetery.
The Trelleborg was first believed to have been a military installation but findings from the excavations show that it has served other purposes such as a settlement for about 1,300 people and as a center for trading and royal administration. Today, visitors can see the open-air museum which displays all the artefacts that were found in the original fortress along with a reconstruction of a Viking village. The town also hosts an annual week-long Viking Fair.
There are also other fortresses that can be found in Sweden and Norway but the ones that can be found in Denmark are the following: Nonnebakken in Odense; Aggersborg near Limfjorden in Northern Jutland; Fyrkat near Hobro.
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