In News
- Recently, UNESCO added the Nordic “clinker boats” to its Heritage List.
- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden jointly sought the UNESCO designation.
- The designation will safeguard and preserve the boat-building techniques that drove the Viking era for future generations.
What are Nordic clinker boats?
- Nordic clinker boats are small, open, wooden boats between five and ten metres long.
- The term “clinker” is thought to refer to the way the boat’s wooden boards were fastened together.
- They are characterised by the use of overlapping longitudinal wooden hull planks that are sewn or riveted together.
- Builders strengthen the boats internally by additional wooden components, mainly tall oak trees, which constitute the ribs of the vessel.
- They stuff the gaps in between with tar or tallow mixed with animal hair, wool and moss.
- Usage :
- They were traditionally used for fishing and to transport materials and people.
- Today, they are primarily used in traditional festivities, regattas and sporting events, even though about a thousand persons make a full or partial living through the production, maintenance or use of clinker boats.
- They have allowed Northern Europeans to conduct trade, influence and wars across seas and continents for thousands of years.
Image Courtesy: Outlook
Source: Outlook
