An exhibition at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay, 2nd April – 17th May
Links between Scandinavia and Wales began long before the 1860s, when Scandinavian sailors arrived in Cardiff and constructed the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. This April and May, the heritage team at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, in collaboration with exhibition partners, are opening an exhibition focused on some of the earliest links between Wales and Scandinavia, looking into the history and heritage of Vikings and Wales. The exhibition will be hosted in the upstairs Dahl Gallery at the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff Bay from April 2nd to May 17th, closing at the end of the most symbolic date in the Norwegian calendar, the Norwegian Constitution Day. The exhibition will focus on four main sections, each outlining key aspects of Viking history, reception, and heritage in modern Wales.
The first section of the exhibition puts the spotlight on Viking Age Wales itself and consists of posters outlining key events in Viking Age Wales and the interaction between the Old Norse and the Welsh in the Early Middle Ages.
Section two will move forward in time, showcasing a series of traditional Norwegian Folk Art items, lent by Robert Davis, a member of the Welsh Norwegian Society. This will include examples of Norwegian rose painting and trolls, which are a crucial aspect of historical Norwegian culture in more recent periods.
Section three will explore the revival of Norse religion in South Wales in the modern day. Modern Heathens believe in the gods, myths, and rituals of the Scandinavian Iron Age, and are part of a larger neo-Pagan movement in which thousands of people across the world revive aspects of pre-Christian religions. These religious practices differ in many ways from those in the Viking Age and have developed into an inclusive religion, open to everyone. This exhibit has been co-curated by members of the Heathen community in collaboration with the Norwegian Church Arts Centre and Olivia Husøy-Ciaccia, independent of her role as Heneb’s HER Officer for Glamorgan-Gwent.
Section four moves on to another key strand of Viking Age heritage in Wales in our society today, namely the vibrant Historical Re-enactment scene. This section is developed in collaboration with the Welsh re-enactment group, Blaeddau Du, based in Caerphilly, which is a branch of the Vikings Re-enactment Society. The group portrays the Hiberno-Norse and Welsh who lived in Wales around 950CE, bringing Viking Age society in Wales into the modern world.
Blaeddu Du will also be leading four living history events for the public at the Norwegian Church on the following days (free of charge):
- Wednesday 8th April
- Saturday 18th April
- Saturday 25th April
- Saturday 9th May
On each of these occasions, the reenactors will showcase Viking crafts through living history, moving away from the traditional emphasis of Vikings as raiders towards other aspects of this rich culture and time.
The exhibition offers a chance to see how the Viking Age is a part of Welsh heritage and how aspects of it remain alive in our landscape, towns, and communities today. The exhibition is the seventh arising from The Norwegian Church Heritage Research and Outreach Project, generously funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the heritage team and exhibition partners thank the players for their support in making this possible.
Though Heneb is not directly involved in this upcoming exhibition, the expertise of Heneb staff has been independently consulted for part of its curation. Heneb has engaged with the Norwegian Church Arts Centre previously, with staff having attended a conference about the diverse religious history of Cardiff in April 2025 during the first stage of the ARWAP project, and have been invited to attend the exhibition’s opening event to continue to build upon the relationship between the two organisations.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Dr Thomas Alexander Husøy
Historian and Outreach Officer, Norwegian Church Arts Centre
Dr Olivia Husøy-Ciaccia
Historic Environment Record Officer, Heneb – The Trust for Welsh Archaeology
