Press archive

Vienna June 19, 2023

"Saga Farmann" was the first Viking ship to ever pass over the watershed of Europe, between west and east. After an arduous voyage from Norway to Germany, and being towed against the current up the river Rhine, the vikingship Saga Farmann passed the watershed between west and east, at Hilpoltstein, on the Main-Danube canal in Germany.

The ship is currently in Vienna, on the Danube, Europe's second largest river. The next milestone is Bratislava. Then Budapest and Belgrade, before Saga Farmann will reach the Black Sea at the port city of Constanta, after 2403 kms on the Danube.

SagaAsia2023 is an epic journey from Tønsberg to Istanbul, the Vikings' Miklagard (the big city), also known as Constantinople, Byzantium and Tsargrad. The Viking ship Saga Farmann is a reconstruction of the Klåstad ship, which was found in Viksfjord near Larvik in 1893, referred to as "Norway's fourth Viking ship". Saga Farmann was built on Vikingodden in Tønsberg and was launched in 2018.

For the first time in over a thousand years, a Viking ship sails from Tønsberg to Istanbul via rivers and canals in Europe. The expedition is strongly inspired by Harald Hardråde and the other Vikings who traveled to Miklagard. Instead of traveling in Østerled, this expedition has chosen waterways in western and central Europe, and through the Balkans.

- Some think we are crazy, others just shake their heads and laugh, many cheer us on, and more and more are joining the boat team, says Einar Erlingsen, head of the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation (OVA).

In addition to raw sails and oars, Saga Farmann has four electric motors. More than three tonnes of batteries provide the ship with good propulsion, as well as ballast, along with rocks found on the seashore. The company Seadrive in Tønsberg has developed the electrical solution in collaboration with the Saga Farmann boat guild and Lars Bill, project manager for SagaAsia2023.

The Klåstad ship was probably a trading ship, a knarr, because in the hull, among other things, was found whetstone blanks from Eidsborg in Telemark. The ship was wrecked sometime in the early 11th century. Excavated in 1970, the ship is on display in Slottsfjellsmuseet in Tønsberg.

Keep in touch Follow Saga Farmann on AIS : www.marinetraffic.com (257081140), Instagram (Original_vikings_of_norway), Youtube (Saga Asia 2023), Facebook (Vikingskipet Saga Farmann) and webpage www.sagafarmann.com

Press contacts: Lars Bill, lars.bill.private@gmail.com, +47 98 28 94 18 Projectleader SagaAsia2023 Jan K. Karlsen (Karl). jankkarlsen@gmail.com, +47 92 05 23 33 Member of the planning group for SagaAsia2023 and Stage manager Kjersti Marken, vikingkjersti@gmail.com +46846362 Presscontact Saga Farmann Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation: Ole Harald Flåten, ole.harald@sagaoseberg.no +47-915 83 585

1) Lars Bill, lars.bill.private@gmail.com, +47 98 28 94 18 Project manager SagaAsia2023

2) Jan K. Karlsen (Karl). jankkarlsen@gmail.com, +47 92 05 23 33 Member of the planning group for SagaAsia2023 and tour leader

3) Kjersti Marken, vikingkjersti@gmail.com, +47 4684 6362 Admin for the Facebookpage Vikingskipet Saga Farmann

All images can be used freely when credited to "Saga Farmann ship guild"

Follow the ship on AIS (Saga Farmann), Instagram (Original_vikings_of_norway), Youtube (Saga Asia 2023), Facebook (Vikingkipet Saga Farmann) website www.sagafarmann.com

Saga Farmann is a Viking ship out of the ordinary. Below the ship's waterline are mounted four "pods" are mounted, giving the ship electric propulsion. These can turn 180 degrees, making it possible to park the ship sideways. The company Seadrive in Tønsberg has developed these pods with the boat guild and Lars Bill, project manager for SagaAsia2023. - This is an honorable part of our national heritage, says Einar Erlingsen. - We must take care of our legacy. At the moment the Viking ship museum in Oslo is closed for reconstruction, and Vikingodden in Tønsberg is actually the only place in the world where you can see the Oseberg ship, as it looked in its glory days between the years 820 and 834. And a reconstruction of the Klåstadship is to be released to the world and show what the skills the Vikings had when it came to boat building and seamanship.

At Oseberg Kulturhus in Tønsberg, there is actually a Viking shipyard. Construction of Saga Farmann began in 2015 and the ship was launched in 2018. Saga Oseberg was also built here in the period from 2010 to 2012. In the meantime, several reconstructions of smaller vessels were made. And these days the work has started making a reconstruction of the Gokstad ship. The boat builder is Jan Knutsen, who also led the building of Saga Farmann. Saga Farmann is one of several ships in the fleet of Stiftelsen Oseberg Vikingarv (OVA), a shipping company managed by Einar Erlingsen. There are only wooden boats in the portfolio. In addition to Saga Farmann and Saga Oseberg there are smaller boats such as Saga Seheimr and Saga Yngling. These are not just any wooden boats, but all are reconstructions of historic vessels from the Viking Age.

On Saturday 29 April at 13:30, the Viking ship Saga Farmann sets sail from Tønsberg and Vikingodden, bound for Istanbul. The first crew change is two weeks later, in Lübeck, and then they change crew every two weeks, as they travel up the river Rhine, on the Maine and further down the Danube, Europe's second largest river. Saga Farmann will have passed through eight countries and four capitals by the time the ship arrives in the Black Sea, to sail south towards the destination. Expected arrival is August 5. The academic archaeological community in Istanbul has invited saga Farmann and her crew. The crew on the SagaAsia2023 voyage are all members of the Saga Farmann boat guild. They have worked hard at preparations and have trained for this voyage, since the dream was launched in 2014. The ship is an archaeological interpretation of the Klåstadskipet - a cargo ship found in a field near Larvik in the late 19th century. The ship is not a chieftain's ship with treasures on board. This is probably the explanation why the ship was not excavated until 1974. There was relatively little left of the ship, in comparison with the Gokstad ship and the Oseberg ship, which were found nearby, respectively. Sandefjord and Tønsberg. The Klåstadship was probably a merchant ship, as in the ship’s bottom among other things, was found whetstone blanks from Eidsborg in Telemark. The ship is currently on display in the Slottsfjellsmuseet in Tønsberg, and is the only original Viking ship you can see in a museum in Norway, as long as the Viking Ship House on Bygdøy near Oslo is closed.

A Viking voyage by sea and on rivers and canals, from Tønsberg to Istanbul/Miklagard

For the first time in over a thousand years, a Viking ship sails from Tønsberg to Istanbul via rivers and canals in Europe. - Some think we’re nuts, others just shake their heads and laugh, some cheer us on, and some join the boat guild and want to join us on a trip, says Einar Erlingsen, the ship owner. Saga Farmann will sail over seas, on rivers and canals through Europe to revitalize old friendships and trade connections from more than a thousand years ago. - We are strongly inspired by Harald Hardråde and the other Vikings who traveled to Miklagard. This journey is the result of someone having a dream they dared to tell others about, as well as our long collaboration with the Archaeological Institute in Istanbul, says Einar Erlingsen, the shipowner who heads the Oseberg Viking Heritage Foundation (OVA).