L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site contains the excavated remains of a complete 11th-century Viking settlement, the earliest evidence of Europeans in North America. Situated at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, this exceptional archaeological site consists of eight timber-framed turf structures built in the same style as those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland from the same period. The buildings include three dwellings, one forge and four workshops, on a narrow terrace overlooking a peat bog and small brook near the shore of Epaves Bay in the Straight of Belle Isle. Would you like to visit this site?

Artifacts found at the site show evidence of activities including iron production and woodworking, likely used for ship repair, as well as indications that those who used the camp voyaged further south. The remnants correspond with the stories told in the Vinland Sagas, which document the voyages of Leif Erikson and other Norse explorers who ventured westward across the Atlantic Ocean from Iceland and Greenland to find and explore new territory, a significant achievement in the history of human migration and discovery. Is there a historical site you would really love to visit? If so, please let us know about it in the comments below.

L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is authentic in location and setting, forms and designs, and materials and substances. Ample archival evidence shows the property to correspond with the journeys described in the Norse sagas. Extensive archaeological research after the site's discovery in 1960 revealed that the timber-framed structures were constructed with a particular type of gabled roof and covered with turf taken from the surrounding peat bog. The layout of the rooms, fireplaces and openings followed the characteristics of Norse design. Excavation uncovered evidence of iron production at the site, as well as approximately 800 wooden, bronze, bone, and stone artefacts that confirm the Norse origins of the property and provide important information on the work and lifestyle of the site's occupants. If you had a chance, would you like to live in a home like these ones?

In order to protect the site, the Canadian government buried the excavation in white sand and covered it with sod. They built replicas of the buildings on top with a boardwalk surrounding. Are there any interesting historical sites where you live? If there are, please let us know more about them in the comments below. Thanks.