L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site On behalf of Parks CanadaWelcom e to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Here is the only authenticated Viking site in North America and the earliest evidence of Europeans in Welcome to North America. L'Anse aux A real-life saga Cast your gaze over the water and imagine a summer day, The tales of voyages west of Greenland lived on in oral around looo years ago, when a Norse expedition from tradition, passing from generation to generation, until Greenland landed on Newfoundland's Great Northern the Vinland sagas were written down in the late 1200s. Meadows Peninsula. Following the coast around the North Atlantic, The legend inspired a quest to discover this Viking base in they had arrived at a strategic location, within sight of North America with speculations about the location ranging Labrador, near the entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle. from Labrador to North Carolina. Finally, in i960, it was Under Leif Eiriksson's leadership, the group of 60-90 Norwegian explorer and writer Helge Ingstad who came people set up a sturdy encampment of turf-walled buildings upon the site at L'Anse aux Meadows. Local fisherman that served as an over-wintering base for exploring to the George Decker led him to what locals called the "old Indian south via the Gulf of St. Lawrence. For the next decade or camp": the overgrown ruins of 11th-century Norse buildings two, successive expeditions travelled to this region they which, combined with a few small items left behind by called Vinland, mainly in search of hardwood lumber. the Vikings, have proven the historic nature of the only They reached at least as far south as the east coast of recognized authentic Viking site to date in North America. New Brunswick—a land where wild grapes grow. L'Anse aux Meadows was designated a National Historic The voyages across the North Atlantic also brought Site in 1975 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. them into contact with North American Aboriginal As one of the world's major archaeological properties, the peoples, ancestors of the Innu, Beothuk, and Mi'kmaq. site is internationally significant for what it tells us of the From these encounters, the Vikings would learn not only worldwide movements of people. that the new lands were inhabited but also that they, the Vikings, were vastly outnumbered throughout the region by the inhabitants. At the time, the Greenland colony had a population of 500 people or fewer. Even with some Icelandic crew, the cost of operating the Vinland enterprise was just not sustainable for the returns. In a short time, the base at L'Anse aux Meadows was abandoned and the buildings burnt. The Vikings may have continued their journeys to North America for centuries, perhaps involving trade with peoples of the Arctic, until the Greenland colony was itself abandoned in the 15th century.
L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978 Lieu historique national de L'Anse aux Meadows inscrit sur ia Liste du patrimoine mondial en 1978 What's in a name? Making the most of your visit The earliest recorded name for L'Anse aux Meadows L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site comprises 80 square kilomete's of forest, bog, coast, bay, and islands. Plan to spend one to three appears on an 1862 French chart as Anse à la Médée hours exploring the site. Our staff is available to answer your questions and to help you. (Medee's Cove). The name is probably from Medea, the heroine of Creek tragedy, after whom many 17th- and 18th-century ships were named. Settlements and Starting your visit. We Follow the boardwalk trail Meet Viking re-enactors at the Explore a landscape that must shore stations were often named after ships. After the recommend you begin at to the archaeological site and reconstructed sod huts. have reminded the Norse of their English settled in the area the name was anglicized to homeland. its present form. The bay in front of the village is still the Visitor Centre. reconstructed sod huts. • Visit with merchant-adventurer called Medee Bay. • Trace the Norse journey • Walk beneath the arch of the Bjorn, his wife Thora, the • Hike the Birchy Nuddick Trail across the North Atlantic Meeting of Two Worlds blacksmith Ragnar or other along the shoreline and inland with our maps. sculpture, and listen to the members of the crew and over bogs and barrens. Look vision of its artists. hear tales of trade, Norse for icebergs, sea birds, and • Immerse yourself in Old Norse society and how to turn bog wild flowers in a landscape literature as you listen to the • Rest awhile at the Aboriginal iron into nail. little changed for over a translated Vinland sagas. campsites and gaze out over Parks Canada manages one of the largest parks systems in thousand years. the sea as countless people • Handle reproduction artifacts the world. These diverse national parks, national historic sites, • Picture what the site looked have before. and experience for yourself life • Enjoy a picnic beside the and national marine conservation areas belong to all Canadians like 1000 years ago by viewing in the Viking camp! ocean at Muddy Cove. and provide opportunities to enjoy, discover and create a scale model meticulously personal moments while protecting these treasured places created based on the • Dress up as a Viking and take Stand on the actual site. for future generations. archaeologists' research. a picture for posterity. • The remains of three halls and While in the area, watch for the beaver symbol on highway signs. • See the authentic artefacts five smaller buildings where These signs will lead you to Port au Choix and Red Bay National that proved the site's origin. the Vikings lived and worked Historic Sites and Gros Morne National Park. • Dig deeper into the story have been carefully preserved using our "ask the as they were when discovered archaeologist" console. by the Ingstads. How to reach us: • Explore other World Heritage • Guided tours of the site L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site Sites through an interactive depart from the back door P.O. Box 70, St. Lunaire-Griquet, NL AOK 2X0 touch screen. of the Visitor Centre regularly throughout the day. Or take (709) 623-2608 off-season (709) 458-2417 a self-guided tour with (709) 623-2028 this brochure. EMAIL: [email protected] www.parkscanada.gc.ca/meadows
Our partner Services Special programs The Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is Washrooms and a pay phone are located in the Visitor Centre. • Sagas and Shadows evening program - check with staff for days a volunteer non-profit association with a mandate to present the There is also an accessible washroom at the bus pick-up area. and times province's history and heritage. They are active throughout the Accessibility Services province. At L'Anse aux Meadows, they operate the Heritage The Visitor Centre, the sod huts, and the archaeological site are all Reminders Shop in the Visitor Centre, develop souvenirs and publications, wheelchair-accessible. and support the living history program. • Site is smoke free. Closed captioning of the film in the Visitor Centre is available upon (709) 753-9262 • Pets on leashes are permitted on the grounds; request. WEB: www.historicsites.ca pets are not allowed in buildings. There is wheelchair accessible parking and an accessible boardwalk close to the sod huts and archaeological site. Please see map on reverse. Service animals are permitted throughout the site. REMAINS OF NORSE BUILDINGS (INSET) INTERPRETIVE AREAS LEGEND
(A) This large hall was built for someone of high perishable items. Another room was littered with (G) Hut - workshop and living space for (?) • UNESCO World Heritage plaque Parking social status. It contains a small private room woodworking debris, both inside and out. lower-status crew. Wheelchair-accessible parking and communal living and working quarters • Historic Sites and Monuments Board for the rest of the crew. One of the rooms was (E) Hut - probably used by women as a workshop, (j) Smelting hut - this small isolated building of Canada plaque Washrooms littered with slag, and may have been used for and perhaps as living quarters. Stone weights contained a furnace for producing iron from • Ingstad bust Motorcoach pick-up area iron working. Jasper chips from fire-starters inside may have been part of a loom. bog ore. A simple smelter stood in the middle show that the crew came from Iceland. of the floor. A charcoal kiln was nearby. The Picnic area (F) Leader's hall - This is the largest building, twice amount and type of slag found suggests that (2) Meeting of Two Worlds sculpture Exhibit the size of Eirik the Red's home in Greenland, a single smelt took place. Very little iron was (B) House - lower-status living quarters and a place (3) Aboriginal campsites for roasting bog ore before smelting. and equivalent in size to a chieftain's hall in manufactured, only enough for making about Rest area Iceland. The leader of the expedition probably 100 to 200 nails. (4) Reconstructed buildings (c) Hut - lowest-status housing at this site, serving lived in this hall with his crew. Jasper chips perhaps as quarters for several slaves. show that its inhabitants came from Greenland. Boardwalk It contained a private room for the leader, a large - - Hiking trail (2.4 kilometres) (D) The smallest of the three halls, probably built for central room that could serve as a banquet hall, a crew of labourers. Judging by the jasper chips two large storage rooms, and a lean-to shed for = Road around the fire, they were from Iceland. This hall boat repair. — Footpath contains a large storeroom, possibly for furs and