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Urban settlements

During the Viking Age, urban settlements developed primarily at river mouths and other natural harbors, with temporary trading centers, known as emporia, initially developing into cities.

Wherever possible, so-called bridges were built as the most important component of trading settlements – wooden quays where ships could dock sideways and be loaded and unloaded.

In many cases, warehouses, workshops, and shipyards were built at right angles to the shore and the bridges. Between them, paths and roads led directly to the water. They also included sewage channels. Behind the warehouses, in the same parallel arrangement, were further longhouses used as dwellings, behind them stables, pens, and gardens. This results in a fairly uniform picture of parallel streets and rows of houses leading to the harbor for many such Viking-era port cities, such as Haithabu near Schleswig, Ribe in Jutland, Birka in Sweden, and Dublin and Waterford in Ireland.

An important feature of Viking Age towns, in addition to trade, which required functioning port facilities, was a diverse range of crafts. The towns were also involved in the production of high-quality jewelry, if only because of the opportunities for trade. In addition, there were itinerant craftsmen who also used their skills at royal courts.

The size of Viking Age towns should not be overestimated, even in the case of relatively large settlements such as Haithabu or Birka, and even though Arab travelers praised Haithabu as a large city in the 10th century, the population is unlikely to have exceeded 1,500.