Our ship builders have not been idle while waiting for building a Gokstad replica. Throughout winter they have been busy building a Viking style “shell house” at Midgard Viking Center.
With guildhall, palisades, entrance tower and other typical Viking buildings in place, the modern service building has increasingly been sticking out like a “sore thumb”. To mend it, the County Council last autumn asked for tenders for building a more Viking style house on top of the existing one.
“We are both proud and pleased that we won the tender,” says chair, Einar Chr. Erlingsen. “It meant that we could keep our four boat builders occupied throughout winter, including one of our wood carvers.”The new Viking house is presently being mounted on top of the original service building. Some work remain, according to head builder Jan Vogt Knutsen, who expects to be finished by mid-March. Just in time to start working on the Gokstad replica.