The Lofotr Viking Museum is a historical museum based on a reconstruction and archaeological excavation of a Viking chieftain’s village on the island of Vestvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the small village of Borg, near Bøstad, in the municipality of Vestvågøy.HistoryIn 1983, archaeologists uncovered the Chieftain House at Borg (På Borg på Vestvågøya i Lofoten), a large Viking Era building believed to have been already established around the year 500 AD. A joint Scandinavian research project was conducted at Borg from 1986 until 1989. Excavations revealed the largest building ever to be found from the Viking period in Norway. The foundation of the Chieftain House at Borg measured long and high. The seat at Borg is estimated to have been abandoned around AD 950.Current operationAfter the excavation ended, the remains of what had once been the long-house remained visible. The long-house has been reconstructed slightly to the north of the excavation site. In 1995, the Lofotr Viking Museum was opened. The museum includes a full reconstruction of the 83-metre (272 ft) long chieftain’s house, a blacksmith’s forge, two ships (replicas of the Gokstad ship, one in full scale size) and their boathouses, and various reenactments intended to immerse the visitor in life at the time of the Vikings. The main building was designed by Norwegian architect, Gisle Jakhelln.