Ravning Bridge

Ravning Bridge Ravningbroen
A reconstructed span
Coordinates	55°40′30″N 9°21′0″E / 55.67500°N 9.35000°E / 55.67500; 9.35000Coordinates: 55°40′30″N 9°21′0″E / 55.67500°N 9.35000°E / 55.67500; 9.35000
Crosses	Vejle River Valley
Locale	Denmark
Characteristics
Material	Oak
Total length	760 m (2,493 ft)
Width	5.5 m (18 ft)
Height	min. 1.5 m (5 ft)
No. of spans	280

The Ravning Bridge (Danish: Ravningbroen) was a former 760 m long timber bridge, built in Denmark in the 10th century during the Viking age. Located 10 km south of Jelling near the village of Ravning, it crossed the meadows of Ravning Enge at Vejle River.

Until the Little Belt Bridge was constructed in 1935, it was the longest bridge in Denmark.

In 1953 big shaped oak timber was found near Ravning at the south side of the Vejle River Valley. An amataur archaeologist, K.V. Christriansen, heard about the findings, and measured the timber. Later more timber was found where ponds for fish farming were constructed, this time at the north side of the valley. K.V. Christriansen concluded that the timber probably was from a bridge and wrote an article about that in 1959. Later the mire in the river valley sank as the result of drainage and regulation of Vejle River, and the top of some of the bridge posts came over the ground surface. Now the National Museum of Denmark became involved. A piece of oak was dated by radiocarbon dating to year 980 with an uncertainty of 100 years, and it was decided to make an excavation which started in 1972.

The National Museum made dendrochronological analyses of samples of the timber from the bridge. The conclusion was that the timber was felled in the 980s, probably in the first half of the decade. The end date of the interval has been questioned by another dendrochronologist who concludes that the date cannot be stated more precisely than "after c. 980 and before c. 1010"

Oak post from the bridge at National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen

The Ravning Bridge is thought to have been built in the Viking Age around 980 AD, as ordered by King Harald Bluetooth, who also built the Viking ring castles. Like these fortresses, the Ravning Bridge was in use for a short time.