A York institution which pioneered a new way to showcase history is celebrating its 40th birthday this weekend.
And the Jorvik Viking Centre is launching a year of celebrations – beginning with unveiling its new logo.
It was 14 April 1984 when a long queue of people assembled in Coppergate to be the first to experience a brand new type of visitor attraction – one that took them back in time to the Viking age.
That means tomorrow (Sunday, 14 April) Jorvik turns 40 – and it’s still drawing countless visitors to York.
Chief executive of York Archaeology, David Jennings, said: “Forty years marks a fantastic milestone for any visitor attraction, particularly one that broke all the rules of museum design when it opened back in 1984.
“It truly is a museum like no other – built on the exact location where we discovered incredibly well-preserved remains of Viking-age York in the 1970s, and continuing to showcase what life would have been like in the 10th century Viking city.
“We are well on our way to having welcomed 21 million visitors through the doors over that time, and are still receiving fantastic reviews – so here’s to the next 40 years!”
The anniversary marks the start of a year of celebrations at Jorvik Viking Centre, starting with the reveal of the anniversary logo marking 40 years of ‘wows’ which will feature in a display down Coppergate Walk and outside Jorvik itself.
To mark the birthday tomorrow, the first 150 visitors will receive sweet treats.
Other plans for the year include a new Viking trail around York, a series of lectures and talks, and the release of a video in which those behind the creation of the very first Jorvik Viking Centre tell the story in their own words.
York Fashion Week in May will be marked with a Viking fashion show and fashion-themed walking tour of the Viking set.
For more information, head to the website.
