Nonnebakken emerges from beneath the city
For more than 1,000 years, the Viking fortress of Nonnebakken has remained hidden beneath the modern city. Now, one of Denmark’s five Viking ring fortresses is becoming more visible, making it easier for both locals and visitors to experience and understand this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As the only one of Harald Bluetooth’s ring fortresses located in the heart of a living city, much of Nonnebakken lies concealed beneath streets, buildings and urban spaces. A new interpretation project will help reveal the fortress’s location and scale through landscape markers, a large bronze model and other visitor-focused features throughout the area.
On the grounds of the Odd Fellow Lodge, sections of the fortress’s circular outline will be marked with broad bands of corten steel and new planting. In the nearby park, a large bronze model will give visitors a better sense of what the fortress looked like during the Viking Age. Additional interpretation features are also planned to help bring the story of Nonnebakken to life.
The project forms part of a broader effort to highlight Odense’s Viking heritage and make the city’s unique Viking history more accessible and engaging for both residents and visitors.
You can already explore Nonnebakken today. Around Hunderupvej, parts of the original rampart can still be seen in the landscape.