Archaeological Border complex of Hedeby and the Danevirke, Archaeological border site in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

Hedeby and the Danevirke form an archaeological border complex in Schleswig-Holstein. Hedeby was a Viking Age trading settlement at the end of the Schlei, connected by a rampart to the Danevirke, a system of earthwork walls with ditches and palisades. The complex covers 227.55 hectares, while the adjacent nature reserve covers about 41 hectares.

The settlement began around 800 and rapidly grew into Northern Europe's most important trading hub. It served as a connection point between Scandinavia and continental markets until it was eventually abandoned.

The site reveals how Vikings connected distant regions through trade, with objects showing exchanges between Scandinavia and continental Europe. Walking through, you sense the crossroads where different peoples met and conducted business.

The two sites lie about two kilometres apart on either side of the Schlei, near Schleswig. The Viking Museum Haithabu and the Danevirke Museum with its archaeological park present the finds, and marked paths lead to the visible ramparts. Part of the remains lies within the Haithabu-Dannewerk nature reserve, so stay on the paths.

Hedeby was abandoned in the 11th century when nearby Schleswig took over its trade, and that decline left the settlement largely undisturbed. By the 2017 nomination only about 5 percent had been excavated, leaving roughly 95 percent of the Viking Age port still in the ground.