The theme was integrated into the Council of Europe programme in 1992 and the route is awarded certification as a “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe” on 9 December 2004.
An important period in North European history is known as the Viking Age normally dated around AD 800 – 1050. This was the period when Scandinavian peoples from the region now occupied by the countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden dominated much of northern Europe and had influence far beyond. They traveled further than Europeans had ever gone before and established a network of communications over great distances.
The Viking Routes highlight the history and travels of the Scandinavians and their connections in Europe and beyond. One of the aims is to draw the attention of today’s Europeans to the Viking period and to make better known the high level of the civilization of the Nordic region and its influence on Europe during the dramatic centuries before and after the year AD 1000.

European Institute of Cultural Routes
Information source: The Council of Europe Cultural Routes brochure, 2004
Photo: Picture stone from the 8th century, found in Hunninge in Klinte parish, Gotland; © Viking Heritage