Hedeby, or Haithabu in German, was a Viking town on the shore of the Haddebyer Noor, a small branch of the Schlei, and for about three centuries it was one of the most important trading places in northern Europe. It was founded in the early 800s and grew into a market town where Frisian, Saxon, Slavic, Danish and Swedish merchants met, trading furs, amber, iron, glass and slaves. At its height it may have had a thousand or more inhabitants, and a semicircular rampart, open to the water, protected the whole settlement. In 1066 it was sacked and burned by a Slavic force, and the surviving population moved across the water to Schleswig.
Excavations in the twentieth century revealed that the waterlogged ground had preserved wood, leather, textiles and even a warship, found in the harbour. The museum at the site, a low building with a grass roof, shows the finds, including the remains of a longship, and a short walk away stand reconstructed Viking houses with thatched roofs and smoky interiors, which are lovely on a quiet weekday. UNESCO added Hedeby, together with the Danevirke, to the World Heritage List in 2018, as an outstanding example of a trading town linking Scandinavia to the continent.
The riding around the site is easy and rural. A narrow road leads down from the main road toward the Noor through fields and low trees, and there is parking near the museum. On summer weekends the place can be busy with families and school parties, and in the early morning or late afternoon it is very quiet. The Schlei, with its reed-fringed shores and sailing boats, is a few minutes away, and the villages round about have small bakeries and cafes.
Fuel and food are best found in Schleswig, only a few kilometres to the north-east, where stations, supermarkets and restaurants are plentiful. Groß Rheide and Dannewerk are small and have limited facilities. Bring a warm layer, since the wind comes across the water without anything to stop it, and the smell of wet reeds and woodsmoke from the reconstructed houses hangs in the air. Standing by the water, it is not hard to imagine a longship slipping in from the fjord with a cargo of furs.