Viking Village Film Set

Have you ever wanted to unleash your inner Viking? Well, one location in Iceland is allowing visitors just that opportunity.

By driving down a small gravel road twisting away from the main route between Höfn and Djúpivogur, curious visitors will arrive at what appears to be a remote Viking village in pristine condition. In reality, it is a film set for an Icelandic movie that was never filmed, but you’d definitely be forgiven for mistaking it for the real thing.

Built in 2010, the set is located on the land of a local farmer. For a small fee, he allows visitors to wander around the amazing location, which is finally scheduled to make its debut next year in a film by Universal.

Upon passing out of sight of the local Viking Café set up to entertain guests, visitors will be able to spy the fake settlement in the distance. The farmer’s horses graze nearby on the fields beneath the shadow of the mountain, adding extra authenticity to the surroundings. After entering the village walls, you are permitted to roam around the site at will. This offers the unique opportunity to observe the immaculate detail that goes into the creation of a film set.

The most striking feature of the village is the buildings, which ape the architecture of the period magnificently. Guests can pry open the wooden doors and find themselves within a range of rooms that look almost indistinguishable from the real thing. But this is not the only piece of period detail; the settlement also comes equipped with a dungeon located beneath an enormous artificial boulder.

The movie the village was created for was never actually filmed due to funding issues. Ever since, the location has waited in limbo for a production company to come along and use it. Recently, the wait finally ended when Universal acquired the rights to produce Vikingr, a film by the Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur. This film is expected to start production next year, with some of the filming taking place at the settlement.

Meanwhile, the location remains open to the public. This means that those curious enough to stray from Iceland’s capital of Reykjavik can still role-play any pillaging fantasies.