PHOTO: The Vikings Exhibition (Courtesy YouTube)
It feels like 2016 is shaping up to be the year of the Vikings, and the travel industry is no exception. As proof, Viking Cruises is paying homage to its namesake heritage with the recent announcement that it has signed on as a presenting sponsor of The Vikings Exhibition.
The announcement expands on Viking's deep commitment to backing of cultural programming around the world both through its destination and cultural-focused cruises and its support of PBS' "Masterpiece," the Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and the Museum of Russian Art and the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibition, which Viking sponsored during its successful tenure at Chicago's Field Museum in 2015.
"Viking's commitment to cultural exploration extends far beyond the walls of our ships," said Richard Marnell, Viking Cruises' senior vice president of marketing. "In addition to the obvious connection The Vikings Exhibition shares with our company name, both our guests and Discovery Times Square visitors seek to enrich their lives through history, culture, and exploration, so this partnership is a natural fit."
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The Vikings Exhibition, which recently debuted in New York City's Discovery Times Square, is the largest display of Viking artifacts ever displayed in North America, and explores rich Viking culture with more than 500 treasures some of which are making their maiden voyage outside Scandinavia. Among the artifacts are full-scale model Viking ships and displays of jewelry, metalwork and religious iconography, including the earliest known Scandinavian crucifix and silver pendants representing the pagan gods.
The exhibition, which will run through September 2016, takes visitors on a journey back in time, through hands-on interactive activities that give visitors a taste of daily life in Viking villages. Visitors can also learn about Norse mythology dating back as far as 750 to 1100 AD and shows why 1,000 years later, Vikings continue to captivate the imagination.
"We are thrilled to partner with Viking Cruises," said James Sanna, president of Discovery Times Square. "Both The Vikings Exhibition and Viking Cruises present visitors with the rare opportunity to experience the rich history and culture of Scandinavia."
Viking Cruises, which was recently rated the highest of all cruise lines in Travel + Leisure's "World's Best" Awards, offers destination-centric river and ocean cruising designed for experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history. Viking's ocean ships feature an onboard Viking Heritage Museum that showcases ship models and historic artifacts and some of the company's cruise itineraries are also inspired by original Viking trade routes.
Guests on Viking's Waterways of the Tsars river cruise learn about the original Viking explorers who plied the Russian waterways, and this September, ocean guests will sail across the North Atlantic from Bergen to Montreal on the In the Wake of the Vikings itinerary - which honors the most famous Viking explorer, Leif Eriksson. Additionally, Viking has produced several cultural enrichment videos about Vikings - including "The Original Longships - Technology that Shaped a Culture" and "Leif Eriksson - The First European in North America."
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