Haithabu
Haithabu is situated opposite the town of Schleswig on the Schlei fjord in present-day Germany. According to the Frankish Annals (a kind of year book), the Danish King Godfred destroyed Haithabu's rival, the Slavic trading post of Reric, in AD 808 and probably moved the merchants from there to his own town, Haithabu. Haithabu is considered to have been one of the Viking Ages' most central and significant trading towns for the next 250 years.
The town was situated alongside the Haithabu Stream's descent into the Schlei. Wooden planks were placed along the sides of the stream in order to control its direction. The town streets were clearly established in relation to the course of the stream. Several of the streets were built of wooden planks. Almost all of them were aligned towards the harbour. Along the streets there were small plots with houses facing the street. The houses varied considerably; the largest ones were situated near the harbour.
The town was located so as to give is easy access from east and west, which is why it became a centre for North European trade. From the east, it was possible to sail up a 40 km long, narrow fjord, the Schlei, to reach the town situated at the head of the fjord. From here there was only 16 km to the navigable rivers of the Ejder and the Treene - via these rivers it was possible to reach the North Sea. Close to Haithabu there was also the main road running north to Jutland, later known as Hærvejen (The Military Road).
In the middle of the 10th century a 1300 m long earth bank, in some places was up to 10-11 m high, was build around Haithabu. This bank was later connected to Danevirke, and was reinforced several times, including the addition of an outer rampart and several V-profiled moats.
Haithabu's harbour was of great significance for the town both as a commercial centre and as a rendezvous for the fleet. As a consequence it was elaborately expanded and protected. At one point, the harbour had jetties up to 60 m long; some of these were so robustly constructed that it seems warehouses or stables and market stalls were built directly on top of them. The town ramparts continued out into the harbour, and here there were also posts hammered into the harbour floor, serving as a further barrage to enemy ships.
Archaeological and historical sources to Haithabu
The Haithabu settlement was one of the most important towns in Viking Age Scandinavia and is, therefore, also one of the best investigated. Most of our knowledge comes from the remains left by the town and its inhabitants in the soil. Due to a rise in water level of 120 cm after the Viking Age, the conditions for preservation are extremely good for wood and other kinds of organic material, which is best preserved in damp surroundings poor in oxygen.
The archaeological finds also indicate the presence of many craftsmen in Haithabu, including smiths, bronze casters, comb makers, workers of bone and leather, jewellers, amber craftsmen, potters and glassblowers. Two Vikings, Ottar and Wulfstan, mention Haithabu as a goal for trading expeditions and describe, for example, how it took five days to reach the town by ship from Kaupang in Norway.
Fact: Written sources make several mentions of the town, and although it is often referred to as Slisswich (Schleswig) or Hædum, we must assume that these are merely alternative Frankish, Anglo-Saxon and Norwegian names for Haithabu.
The first mention of the town is in the annals of the Frankish Empire ? when the Danish king gathered his army and fleet at Haithabu in AD 804. The last time the town is mentioned is in connection with its demise. It is, however, difficult to go into more detail concerning this latter event as some written sources report that a Slavic army destroyed the town in AD 1066, while others report an attack on Haithabu, and its destruction by fire, by the Norwegian king, Harold Hardrada, in AD 1060.
The archaeological finds also reveal that the town burnt down in the second half of the 11th century and that subsequently it apparently lost its importance.
In AD 850, Haithabu played an important role in the introduction of Christianity to Denmark. It is related in Ansgar's biography of King Horik II:
Quote: - at a seaport in his kingdom, which was very suited to it ?., Schleswig is its name, to where merchants from all regions came, he allowed him (Ansgar) to build a church, granted him a place where the priest could live, and also gave this permission: that anybody in his kingdom who wished to do so was allowed to become a Christian.
Even though some people were attracted to the new religion not everybody succumbed willingly, or completely, not even in Haithabu. The Christian priest was actually chased out of the town and the church was closed. It was re-opened in AD 854, but Christianity had to exist side by side with paganism for many years. A mould has been found in Haithabu in which both Christian crosses and Thor's hammers could be cast. The silver smith clearly wanted to serve both of his customer groups! And as late as AD 965 an Arabic merchant and diplomat, Al-Tartûschi, described in horrific terms how Schleswig's inhabitants worshipped heathen gods and that they threw their newborn babies into the sea in order to save expense.
There is no doubt that Haithabu was of great significance for trade in the Viking Age, and similarly for the concentration and consolidation of royal power in Denmark. The town was attacked several times and was, for shorter periods, in foreign hands. However, the struggle for its possession only proves how important a pawn it was in the great political game in Scandinavia and Central Europe during the Viking Ages. When Haithabu disappeared, the town's function and importance were taken on by the town that also took its name: Schleswig - located on the opposite side of the fjord.
Barbara Højlund