UNESCO lists Viking-era wooden sailboats on heritage list

For thousands of years, wooden sail boats, best known for having been in use during the Viking-era, allowed the peoples of northern Europe to spread trade, influence and -- in some cases war — across the seas and rivers. In December, UNESCO, the U.N.’s culture agency, added the “clinker’ boat traditions to its list of “Intangible Cultural Heritage,” the result of the first joint nomination from the whole Nordic region. The museum not only exhibits the remains of wooden vessels built 1,000 years ago, but also works to rebuild and reconstruct other Viking boats. The process involves using experimental archaeological methods to gain a deeper, more practical understanding of the Viking Age, such as how quickly the vessels sailed and how many people they carried. The Viking-era Ship Museum is in Roskilde, Denmark.

An 11th century Viking ships, built in the Nordic clinker boat tradition, sit on display at the Viking Ship Museum. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

The UNESCO nomination was signed by around 200 communities and cultural bearers in the field of construction and traditional clinker boat craftsmanship, including Sami communities. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

Wooden clinker boats are characterized by the use of overlapping longitudinal wooden hull planks that are sewn or riveted together. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

A man repairs a 10-meter wooden row boat, built in the Nordic clinker boat tradition, at the Viking Ship Museum's boatyard. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

Boat design drawing sit in the Viking Ship Museum's boatyard. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

An 11th century, 14-meter Viking coastal trading vessel, sits on display at the Viking Ship Museum. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

A wooden row boat, built in the Nordic clinker boat tradition, sit moored in Roskilde harbour, close to the Viking Ship Museum's boatyard. (AP Photo/James Brooks)

An 11th century, 15-meter Viking ocean-going trading vessel, built in the Nordic clinker boat tradition, sits on display at the Viking Ship Museum. (AP Photo/James Brooks)