Major new Viking attraction soon to open in Rouen, France

Right in the heart of Rouen, a new interactive attraction aims to bring history to life, namely the Norse heritage of this former Viking capital of Normandy. 

The Immersive City 

Due to open later this spring, La Cité Immersive Viking will be the first of several family-friendly amenities set up around France, straddling the border between entertainment and education. 

The Viking Immersive City experience will be sensory, narrative, and fun. 

This Viking city will cover nearly 1,000 square meters and be divided into six rooms, featuring cutting-edge devices such as video-mapped installations, monumental and interactive historical settings, authentic Viking objects, 360° video projections, and 3D sound immersions. 

Visitors will, therefore, become the authors of their own journey, manipulating the objects and digital tools inserted into the interactive scenography. 

Although an opening date has yet to be confirmed, the center should be unveiled within the next few months. 

This pioneering venture northwest of Paris was inspired by the activities of a group of local enthusiasts, Les Enfants de Rollon, who are committed to reviving the oft-forgotten history of Normandy. 

Its president, Ludovic Garnier, founded the organization in 2019 under the motto: "Comment savoir où on va quand on ne sait pas d'où on vient!" – "How do you know where you're going when you don't know where you come from!" 

• READ MORE: The Viking history of France (Part 1)

This upcoming Viking attraction will feature advanced technologies like video-mapped installations, interactive historical settings, authentic Viking objects, and immersive 360° video projections. Photo: Benoit Camus / Cités Immersives

Rollo's children 

Set up to promote an understanding of Norman identity and the teaching of Viking culture, the group was named after Norse warlord and Viking leader, Rollo. 

Of uncertain but assuredly Scandinavian origin, Rollo became the first Duke of Normandy after signing the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte in 911, exactly halfway between Paris and Rouen. 

This was the founding document of the Duchy of Normandy, in return for the Norsemen pledging allegiance to King Charles III of West Francia.

The Norse chose Rouen as their capital, where Rollo was buried in the Cathedral, while the monarch would go down in history under the name of Charles the Simple. 

Just over a century and a half after the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, the Normans under William the Conqueror, a direct descendant of Rollo, successfully invaded England following the Battle of Hastings. 

A millennium later, the Children of Rollo have also created their own Viking shipyard at Canteleu, alongside Rouen on the north bank of the Seine, launching a smaller version of a replica longship in October 2022. 

A full-length one powered by 30 rowers should be ready to sail down the Seine in 2025. 

The group is also involved in medieval fairs, craft markets, and farming projects, all on the same Canteleu site, with the blessing of local mayor Mélanie Boulanger, who was on hand when the five-metre replica was unveiled. 

In the meantime, Ludovic Garnier has been heavily involved with the concept and creation of La Cité Immersive Viking alongside Vincent Samson, a historian specializing in medieval history and Scandinavian philology. 

Rouen-born Samson has dedicated much of his career to the Viking era, and his publications have been translated into several languages. 

As he writes in the presentation material for the center: 

"The scientific project Viking Immersive City is unique in the cultural landscape. For the first time, the Scandinavian history of Normandy will be highlighted through a demanding and entertaining amenity, which illustrates an exceptional historical phenomenon." 

"The Viking Immersive City presents to the public the major stages of this epic adventure. It does so not only by highlighting the point of view of the local population who had to undergo the assaults of the formidable 'men of the North,' but also by showing that of the Scandinavian adversaries."

"They were bearers of a brilliant civilization, whose inheritance strongly contributed to the birth of a Norman identity." 

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