[MR] Jorvik Opened by Tony Blair

[Velsthe1 at aol.com]

Friday morning, on a trip to York, Prime Minister Tony Blair officially opened JORVIK......

21ST CENTURY JORVIK - A NEW LOOK FOR THE FIRST MILLENNIUM

One of the UK's most successful visitor attractions, JORVIK in York, is set to re-open on Saturday April 7th, following a L35 million redevelopment scheme to bring the acclaimed Viking attraction to life once again, even bigger and better than before! 

Funded by private investment and without the aid of lottery cash, the successful Yorkshire attraction is set to open ahead of schedule and to budget, unlike many of the UK's millennium projects.

The redeveloped attraction will retain the same values of archaeological and academic integrity as seen in the original Jorvik Viking Centre which opened in 1984.  But now, following over 20 years of intense research, JORVIK presents a far broader and more detailed city wide view of York as it would have looked, sounded and smelt at the end of the first millennium in AD975. 

The York Archaeological Trust, an independent charitable organisation which undertook the original Coppergate Excavations and who owns and has reinvested in JORVIK, is positive that the new attraction is the definitive guide to the Vikings in York. 

Technology is also playing a key part in the new attraction.  The time cars that used to trundle around the old Jorvik Viking Centre have now been replaced with state-of-the-art time capsules enabling visitors to float from the River Foss up and over backyards, through houses, and along the street of Coppergate. The lifelike figures for which the original attraction was famous have been completely recreated, and some will now incorporate animatronics.  In addition, new, improved techniques will accurately disseminate the authentic smells for which the centre is renowned.
The Trust is thus confident that all this will bring JORVIK back to the cutting edge of visitor attraction design. 

"This redevelopment uses techniques never applied before in the attractions industry, so we can bring the archaeology of the Viking Age city and its residents vividly to life in a unique multi-sensory experience," comments Director of JORVIK, Richard Kemp.

"For the first time, we are able to show the scale of this incredible city, which we are confident will dispel the commonly-held impression that Jorvik was merely a village," explains Richard Kemp.  "In fact, by the year AD975, urban pressures had forced residents to build upwards, with the emergence of York's first two storey timber dwellings.  Jorvik in 975 was probably the 10th century equivalent of Hong Kong or New York." 

As with the original Jorvik Viking Centre displays, the new JORVIK is based entirely on archaeological discoveries made around the site in the 1970s and early 80s, and is situated on the actual location where the original artefacts were found. 

JORVIK will re open on Saturday 7th April at 10am, and thereafter is open everyday from 9.00am to 5.30pm, except Christmas Day.  Admission prices are L34.95 for children, L36.95 for adults and L35.95 for seniors/students.  Family tickets are available for L321.50  (2 adults and 2 children).  Plus, why not beat the queue and pre-book a timed ticket?  Telephone 01904 543403 for more details or log onto the website at http://www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/

ENDS

EDITORS NOTE:  PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE NEW JORVIK AREL AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FROM www.attractionsnews.com

For further media information please contact:
Gillian Neild, Jonathan Clarkson and Stefan Hopewell-PRO's JORVIK
Tel:        01904 527777 
Fax:        01904 527778
Email:          heritage at uk2.net