VIKING-ERA WOODEN SAILBOATS ON THE UNESCO HERITAGE LIST

According to the news published in the Indian Express on 27 January 2022, in December 2021, the U.N.’s culture agency added Nordic “clinker boats” to its cultural list representing the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

Key Points:

• Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden jointly seek the UNESCO designation. Supporters of the nomination hope it will preserve and safeguard the boat-building techniques.
• Wooden sailboats have allowed the people of northern Europe to spread influence, trade, and war, sometimes on continents and seas, for thousands of years.
• The term “clinker” refers to how the wooden boards of a boat are assembled.

Historical Significance:

• Clinker boats drove the Viking era for future generations.

Viking Ship Museum:

• The Viking Ship Museum is located in Roskilde, west of Copenhagen. 
• It shows the remains of wooden vessels built a thousand years ago and works to rebuild some of the Viking boats. 
• The construction process involves using archaeological experiments to gain a deeper, more realistic understanding of the Viking Age.

World Heritage Site:

• It is an area or landmark legally protected by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).