An exciting lecture with archaeologist Stephen Wickler

01 July 2025

On Thursday 26 and Friday 27 June, there was a series of lectures at Lofotr Viking Museum with archaeologist Stephen Wickler from The Arctic University of Norway.

New exciting results from field research

Stephen Wickler has done a lot of research on Vestvågøya and Lofoten for many years. This time he has presented changes in sea level in Borgpollen that were the result of an interdisciplinary research project with geology, climate change studies and archaeology. The sea level at Borgpollen began to drop even before the Viking Age, and this led to less freshwater intake from the sea and the formation of brackish water. The consequences of this change were that Borgpollen could no longer be used as a harbor in the winter when it began to freeze. A new information sign at Borgpollen tells about this.

In August last year, Stephen Wickler was busy digging out trenches from the tower hut at Holsneset. At the lecture, Stephen explained about the building characteristics of the störaust, about the structure’s function and its location in the landscape in relation to other relevant structures (i.e. the ringyard facility at Leknes).

Celebration of Lofotr’s 30th anniversary

The Lofotr Viking Museum was officially opened by H.M. King Harald on 21 July 1995. The lecture series was arranged on the occasion of Lofotr’s 30th anniversary. An anniversary exhibition opens in the museum’s access facility on Saturday 27 September, and marks the museum’s history and development over three decades.