January 25 & 26, 2008
Manchester, NH

History of Birka

A short historical note about the name sake of our event.

The historic town of Birka existed in Sweden on Björkö Island in Lake Mälar during the 9th and 10th centuries. During its heyday it was a great trading center for the Vikings and travelers from the Nordic world. Items could be purchased there from around all of Europe as well as much of Asia. It was also the location of the first Christian congregation in Sweden, founded in 831 by St. Ansgar. Christians and pagans lived side by side in peace throughout the period of Birka. Birka and the nearby town of Hovgården were added to the World Heritage List in 1993 for being a well preserved example of the Vikings' trading networks during the two centuries when they expanded economically and politically in Europe. Birka is one of the most complete and untouched Viking Age trading sites from the years 700-900. We celebrate the heritage of Birka today in SCA context with a great market day. Enjoy!

This is the recognized Web Page for the Barony of Stonemarche of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. The maintainer of this page is Eadric Wiglafson - contact. It is not a corporate publication of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc., and does not delineate SCA policies. In cases of conflict with printed versions of material presented on this page or its links, the dispute will be decided in favor of the printed version."