Jorvik Viking Centre

About Jorvik Viking Centre

Before the planned construction of the Coppergate shopping centre, York Archaeological Trust carried out excavations in the area, which had once been an important part of the Viking city of Jorvik. Carried out between 1976 and 1981, archaeologists uncovered the remains of houses and workshops, leading to the opening of the world-famous visitor attraction in 1984. Around 40,000 archaeological items were identified and recorded, including vast quantities of oyster shells and animal bones. Excavations showed evidence of metalworking, along with the manufacture of wooden cups and bowls, from where Coppergate acquired its name – the street of the cup-makers.

Danish Vikings seized Eoforwic, capital of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Northumbria, in the year 866 and renamed it Jorvik. Having conquered York, the Scandinavian invaders settled in the area, transforming the city into an important trading centre throughout the Viking world. The Viking Kingdom of York lasted for just under a century until the year 954, and was ruled at different times by Anglo-Saxon, Danish and Norwegian kings, from Halfdan through to Eric Bloodaxe.