— Ch. 1 · The Enigmatic Location —
Jomsborg.
~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
A modern memorial in Wolin bears a Danish and Polish inscription commemorating the death of Harald Bluetooth in 986. This stone marker stands on the southeastern tip of an isle in northwestern Poland, yet it marks a place that may never have existed. Historian Lauritz Weibull dismissed Jomsborg as pure legend over a century ago. The only source claiming a precise location emerged in autumn 2019 with the discovery of the Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum. Pomeranian historian Adolf Hofmeister suggested in 1931/32 that all medieval names like Jumne or Julin described the same spot near modern Wolin. Professor Steven Fanning argues that attempts to locate Jómsborg or encampments of the Jómvikings have failed completely. Ruins discovered in Wolin during 2023 are currently under investigation as a possible site for the fortress. Other theories place Jomsborg northwest of Usedom island on lands now submerged beneath the sea. Small islands in this area are remnants of land that fell victim to storm floods in the early 14th century. Suspected locations include the Veritas grounds between Ruden and Greifswalder Oie. Archaeological evaluation of these submerged theories remains impossible due to the water depth.
Archaeological Evidence And Forgeries
A golden disc bearing the name of Harald Bluetooth appeared in Sweden in autumn 2014. Swedish archaeologist Sven Rosborn first presented this artifact, which weighs 25.23 grams and contains high gold content. The obverse side features a Latin inscription reading +ARALD CVRMSVN+REX AD TANER+SCON+JVMN+CIV ALDIN+. It translates to Harald Gormsson king of Danes, Scania, Jomsborg, diocese of Aldinburg. Claims state the disc was part of a Viking hoard found in 1841 in Wiejkowo near Wolin by Heinrich Boldt. Rosborn also produced a text purporting to be a modern Polish translation of an unknown Latin chronicle called Gesta Wulinensis ecclesiae pontificum. This document attributes Jomsborg a location near Paprotno, Poland. However, both the disc and the chronicle face severe criticism regarding their unclear provenance. Archaeologist Jes Wienberg criticized Rosborn for denying other scholars direct access to the finds. Historians Kurt Villads Jensen and Wojtek Jezierski claim they are forgeries. They note that the disc has no known analogue and the chronicle contains several historical errors.