Hjemkomst Center

  The story of the Hjemkomst, a Viking ship replica, is amazing. Robert Asp, a junior high school counselor, had a lifelong fascination with the voyages of the Vikings and dreamed of building a ship but it wasn’t until he fell off of a roof and was recuperating that he had time to plan. The first trees were felled and the first boards milled in 1972. The replica, patterned after the Gokstad a Viking burial ship unearthed near Sandefjord, Norway, was completed in 1980.

  Asp worked alone in the early years but when he developed leukemia in 1974, a group of volunteers joined to help with the build. None of them had any experience in shipbuilding. After the ship was completed it was trucked two hundred miles to Lake Superior. When the ship slid into the lake Robert Asp was onboard but sadly he died in December of 1980. In May,1982, the ship with 12 crew members including four of Asp’s children, sailed through the Great Lakes to begin a somewhat perilous journey to Norway. The Hjemkomst arrived in Bergen, Norway on July 19, 1982 and the crew was greeted with celebrations all along the coast as they sailed to Oslo, Norway.

  The center has exhibits and videos about building and sailing the ship. The center also includes galleries featuring changing exhibitions.

Another interesting replica is located outside. Gaylord “Guy” Paulson along with family and friends constructed an exact replica of the 900 year old Hopperstad Stave Church located near Vik, Norway. Stave churches were built when Christianity was new to the Norwegians and blend pagan and Christian elements. The church interior can be seen by guided tour only.

  The center is accessible except for a balcony level overlooking the ship. The church has a ramp.

  RVs can be pulled through the spaces in the parking lot. The lot is sloped so wheelchair users may need assistance. Center  46.87739, -96.77811