Steel Vikings arrive at L'Anse aux Meadows

A dramatic new sculpture has been installed at the L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula.

It was designed by New Brunswick graphic artist and illustrator Karen Van Niekerk.

The piece is made with corten steel and is approximately 2.4 metres high and 10 milimetres thick.

The exhibit faces southeast to symbolize that the Vikings used the base camp they constructed at the site to explore outward.

Parks Canada said L'Anse Aux Meadows was part of a much larger region explored by Norse people.

Parks Canada said the clothing, hair styles, and the tools they are carrying, including the the sword, shield, axe and  knife, are accurate for the period 1000 AD. One woman is also included to show that females were present at the historic site.

"The Vikings in the exhibit appear to float high over the hillside as visitors walk toward the entrance to the interpretation centre at the site," wrote Jane Brewer with Parks Canada in an email.

"It creates an exciting, yet subtle sense of arrival."

Park enhancements

The new sculpture is one of several enhancements underway. Others include new interpretive exhibits that explain Norse history, trail renovations and a boardwalk near the visitor centre.

L’Anse aux Meadows is the site of the first European presence in North America and ranks among the world’s most significant archaeological properties. Evidence of explorers at the site dates back more than 1000 years.