I drew a map of Denmark with the current borders of Denmark but set in the Viking age, some cities weren’t founded yet so that’s why I didn’t drew them and I probably forgot some other settlements just because I don’t know them all (I’m Belgian) I still hope you’ll enjoy it!!

34 comments
  1. Nice job. But one I know is missing is “Flandstrand” name is Frederikshavn today. In the north of Jutland. There have been living people since the stone age.

  2. At that time the province we today know as Slesvig was also part of this realm, and a major trade hub, Haithabu, was there.

    A large fortress was built in Hobro at the end of Mariager Fjord, Fyrkat. Like Aggersborg to the north, it should be there 🙂

    The town called Havn (Hafnia) was actually also present, albeit not a major city yet. It came to be known as Copenhagen. Which reminds me…

    Island of Amager is misisng also. Also also, the northeastern part of Djursland (the eastern peninsula on the jutland peninsula was actually an island…. but I guess finding a valid historical map of Denmark year 1000 isn’t easy. Otherwise a nice map 🙂 I love maps.

  3. Very cool! Minor detail but Nørrejyske Ø (the part with Aggersborg) actually wouldn’t have been an island at that time. That didn’t happen until sometime in the 19th century.

  4. Every Dane is now super confused and split between being proud that a foreigner did this amazing map and to point out some minor error.

    But this is awesome. Thank you!

  5. Every night I go to bed I say a little prayer and ask the Lord to turn Sweden into a compass rose.

    You have no idea how precious this is to me!

  6. I am missing Nonnebakken (Odense), Fyrkat (Hobro) and Lejre instead of Roskilde, and as part of Denmark then: Danevirke and Hedeby. But nice drawing.

  7. ODSHERRED peninsula in North-West Zealand looked very different, since two major fjords there (Lammefjord, Siddinge Fjord) were only dried up by dams a little more than a century ago. There’s a map here: [https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammefjorden](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lammefjorden)

    AMAGER ISLAND, already mentioned, was also smaller and more slender, than nowadays.

    An old map here [https://www.lokalhistorier.dk/Kort_over_Amager/Historiske_Kort_over_Amager/images/1843_Kort_over_Amager.jpg](https://www.lokalhistorier.dk/Kort_over_Amager/Historiske_Kort_over_Amager/images/1843_Kort_over_Amager.jpg)

    SAMSØ ISLAND

    was split in half by a Viking-made canal, Kanhave kanal, so that their fleet could move quickly from one side of the island to the other [https://slks.dk/doil/stederne/kanhave-kanal/](https://slks.dk/doil/stederne/kanhave-kanal/)

    [https://fortidsminde.jk-lab.dk/lokaliteter/vikingetid/kanhave-kanal](https://fortidsminde.jk-lab.dk/lokaliteter/vikingetid/kanhave-kanal)

    LOLLAND ISLAND was also somewhat smaller, since a lot of small dams came later. Map p.66 in [http://www.jggj.dk/Korstogene.pdf](http://www.jggj.dk/Korstogene.pdf)

    ANOTHER VIKING RING FORTRESSES

    – Tryggeborg on Falster island, probably the biggest viking fortress there was:

    [https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trygge_Slot](https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trygge_Slot)

  8. This is very very very cool! With perhaps some colours it would be awesome to make a print of and give as a gift 🎁

  9. Ribe was originaly called Ripa, which in old danish means Something like stripes or pieces. This was due to the original “Ribe” was just a trading post consisting of many plots of land.

  10. On Bornholm you don’t have any cities. Rønne is the current “capital” there but in Viking times it was Hammerhus on the very north top. Early Viking era there would be about three main castles. But hammershus is definitely the best strategic placed one. Was key point during the later Hansa trade routes.

  11. Very nice map, but representing viking-age Denmark without Skåne, Halland, Blekinge, and the rest of Slesvig kind of bugs me.

    Hedeby, Lund, and Trelleborg (the now-swedish one) were some of the most important danish settlements at that time.

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