HISTORY ON BOARD

It is wonderful to tour a destination, to read the guidebooks and visit the museums, but to truly immerse yourself in the history of a place, a little expert knowledge can go a long way

Our focus on cultural enhancement has taken a step deeper into the history books with our Viking Resident Historian® program, designed to provide an enhanced level of enrichment for all our guests on board our ocean ships via lectures, small-group seminars and history-themed dinner discussions. “Our guests are explorers — they are curious travellers who want to learn,” explains Executive Vice President Karine Hagen, who leads the enrichment efforts at Viking. “Having a fundamental understanding of iconic historical events in the destinations our guests visit helps bring a deeper understanding of the present — and perhaps also a better perspective on the future.”

The Viking Resident Historian lectures are exclusively produced under the tutelage of Dr. Charles Doherty, PhD, Chief Viking Resident Historian. Dr. Doherty has lectured in more than 60 countries for National Geographic, the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Doherty received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and attended the Courtauld Institute in London as a Fulbright Scholar.

The Viking Resident Historians provide guests with a framework for understanding the major chapters in world history and they conduct seminar-style roundtables — smaller, more intimate forums where the Viking Resident Historian examines in-depth subjects related to their own area of specialization as well as the particular areas of interest of the guests.

Ensuring guests achieve the optimum knowledge they wish to receive when on their cruise, the Viking Resident Historians provide a history course as a refresher, which is supplemented by onboard guest lecturers who contribute their particular expertise (architecture, art, music, etc.) of the region.

The responsibilities of Viking Resident Historians extend well beyond just lectures. During each cruise, they present iconic lectures (examples in Europe and Scandinavia include “The Roman Empire”; “The Vikings”; “The Hanseatic League”; and “Imperial Russia”); lead focused discussions (such as “The Elgin Marbles”; “Women of Exploration & Discovery”; and “Venetian Naval Power”); and they are available for guest questions and interactions outside lectures and office hours throughout the sailing.

The Viking Resident Historian program is just one of the onboard cultural offerings that sets Viking apart as The Thinking Person’s Cruise®— giving traveller immersive experiences on board and on shore, and Privileged Access experiences through exclusive partnerships.

ICONIC LECTURES

Explorers—The Age of Discovery The Bayeux Tapestry The Hanseatic League History of Navigation The Italian Renaissance The Venetian Republic How the Spice Trade Changed the World The Vikings Vikings on the Move

Facing page, clockwise from

top: The gilded interior of the Church of Our Saviour on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg; historic notebooks; Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy; the standing stones of the Ring of Brodgar, Orkney Islands, Scotland; a Viking Resident Historian chats with a guest Left: Totem poles on display at the Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska