Ribe — Secret of the Viking Coin Hoard

Your quest begins on Ribe's Stortorvet, the historic heart of the city since the 8th century. It is here that archaeological excavations have unearthed artifacts from the original Viking market, testifying to Ribe's importance as a commercial center from the 8th and 9th centuries. As Hans Tausen, you will search for the first clues to this treasure, observing the sites where public gatherings and medieval markets were held, witnessing the changes and continuities of this emblematic square in Jutland.

Continue to Ribe Domkirke, Denmark's oldest cathedral, whose construction began around 1100 and was consecrated in 1135. This Romanesque sandstone edifice, enhanced with Gothic towers added in the 13th century (approximately 45 m high), houses 12th-century Romanesque frescoes and a historic organ from 1770. You will decipher hidden symbols among the burials of medieval figures, seeking connections between faith and commerce that shaped Ribe's history.

The route then leads you to Skibbroen, the historic bridge over the Ribe Å, dating from the Middle Ages. This fluvial access point, vital for Viking and medieval trade from the 8th to 13th centuries, connected the city center to the port. The reinforced wooden structure, emblematic of Ribe's maritime past, will remind you of the importance of waterways for the city's establishment and prosperity. It is here, on the bank of the Ribe Å, that clues to ancient trade routes might be revealed.

Explore the Porsborg district, a medieval port site housing ancient Viking warehouses from the 9th to 11th centuries. It is in this paved area, with remnants of stone quays, that Viking coin hoards have been discovered during archaeological excavations. As an investigator, you will scrutinize every corner, imagining the exchange of goods and transactions that took place here, seeking to connect these past discoveries to your current mystery in Jutland.

Your journey symbolically ends near Sankt Catharinæ Kirke og Kloster, a Franciscan monastery founded in 1228, whose church was built in the 13th century. One of Denmark's oldest monasteries, dissolved in 1536 during the Reformation, this Gothic brick site with its partially preserved cloister (approximately 1 ha) represents a crucial landmark in Ribe's history. From Ribe's central square to the remnants of its fortifications, passing through religious and commercial sites, you will have traced a mental map of the Viking and medieval heritage of this ancient city, understanding the issues of power and faith that marked Jutland.