Hundreds of visitors gathered on the waterfront in the center of the Hungarian capital of Budapest last Saturday to see a Viking ship for themselves.
Moored on Bem tér right opposite the city’s historic Parliament building, the Saga Farmann granted an eager public an afternoon time slot to admire the vessel close up for themselves.
As reported in The Viking Herald, the Saga Farmann set out from Tønsberg, Norway, on April 29, with a final destination of Istanbul.
Üdvözöljük Budapesten!
Originally established in 2010 to create a replica of the famous Oseberg Viking ship in full view of the public, the Saga Farmann has spent the last two months negotiating the rivers and canals of Central Europe before heading for the Black Sea port of Constanța and, finally, Turkey.
After a great welcome in Lübeck, Mainz, and Regensburg, the modern-day Vikings glided along the Danube to Vienna, Bratislava, and the historic settlement of Szentendre before docking in Budapest.
Berthed near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, close to Margaret Bridge, the crew welcomed visitors who had been waiting on a jetty in the sweltering heat as the ship, a Hungarian flag at the stern, a Norwegian one at the bow, honed into view.
After a flurry of selfies and a change of crew, the Saga Farmann was off again, sailing under the city’s historic bridges and past picturesque landmarks before negotiating a narrow stretch south of Budapest past Dunaújváros and Baja before the next major cities of Vukovar, Novi Sad, and Belgrade.
The Viking ship replica glided along the Danube to Vienna, Bratislava, and the historic settlement of Szentendre before docking in Budapest. Photo: Courtesy of the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation
Following the Danube
The Saga Farmann will have passed through eight countries and four capitals by the time the ship arrives in the Black Sea. The expected arrival is August 5. An invitation from the academic archaeological community in Istanbul awaits the ship and her crew.
This is only the start of an epic voyage, named Saga Asia 2023, of several years in the replica craft, built with considerable expertise at the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation.
Given the success of this waterfront visitor attraction, the idea for an actual European saga was first mooted in 2014. Plans then became more concrete three years ago, with a route planned out and trial runs to Haugesund.
The Saga Farmann is akin to the Klåstad, found near Larvik in the late 1800s and reconstructed by the later director of the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Arne Emil Christensen, in 1974.
The Klåstad was used for cargo and trading, only carrying a crew of half-a-dozen men. Unlike other vessels uncovered in modern times, it was not used for ceremonial burial but was, in fact, shipwrecked. Around 40% of it was recovered, the remains of which stands in Tønsberg, at the Slottsfjell Museum.
Saga Farmann is one of several ships in the fleet of Stiftelsen Oseberg Vikingarv (OVA), a shipping company managed by Einar Erlingsen. There are only wooden ones in the portfolio. In addition to Saga Farmann and Saga Oseberg, there are smaller boats such as Saga Seheimr and Saga Yngling. These all are reconstructions of historic vessels from the Viking Age.
The Saga Farmann moored on Bem tér, opposite the city’s Parliament building. Photo: Courtesy of the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation
Traditional methods, contemporary technology
Apart from contemporary technology to assist it in calm weather, the ship was otherwise built using the same methods as the other vessels constructed at Tønsberg, with axes, knives, hammers, and chisels, using as many Viking crafts as possible, even down to the textiles for the sails.
In addition, the Saga Farmann uses ultra-modern methods for propulsion if the fair wind doth not blow, with four electric pods below the waterline, each with its own small collapsible propeller, which can be twisted and turned in any direction so that the ship can dock dockside.
The Saga Farmann will be on tour for four years, first in Germany, Central Europe, and Istanbul, then a cruise of the Mediterranean in 2024, before France and the British Isles in 2025.
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