THE COBBLER'S HOUSE

Winter is over, and it has been hard on the Vikings footwear. Most families make their own leather pouches, knife sheaths and other small things; but larger and more difficult tasks such as shoes and harnesses are sent to the cobbler. They first agree what his payment will be, for example a measure of grain, a hen or perhaps a new cooking pot. Some pay with bits of silver or gold thread, or small silver coins.

”The Cobbler's House” has been reconstructed according to finds made east of the station in Ribe. No traces of handiwork were found, but Ribe Viking Centre has chosen to show how Viking cobblers would have worked. Among other things, you can see the different types of shoes that have been found during excavations in Ribe. Large quantities of leather pieces left over from shoemaking have been found, and from the cut-off scraps and the relatively poor use of materials, we can see that skins were in good supply. If the cobbler isn't in today, he's most likely at the inn … but in that case it would probably be a better idea to come back and be measured for new shoes another day!