Replica of a Viking-Padlock from Birka.

Here you can buy an authentic padlock for a Viking chest, made true to detail after a find from the Viking town Birka.

The original chest lock from Birka is dated to the 8th or 9th century and was found during excavations on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren in Sweden. Locks of this type were probably modelled on Chinese locks.

A padlock like this was simply indispensable in the Viking Age for keeping valuables and utensils safe in personal chests.

Our Viking chest lock from Birka is made by hand. The ingenious locking mechanism inside the padlock consists of a pin with attached springs that lock the padlock.

The key, which has two holes, compresses these springs when it is pushed in and pulled upwards. The entire upper part of the Viking lock can then be opened together with the bolt.

The Viking padlock from Birka measures 5.5 x 3.5 x 7 cm.
The key measures 11 x 2.7 cm.

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Viking padlocks can be divided into two types. Barrel-shaped padlocks and box-shaped padlocks. However, the functional principles are the same. Older padlocks had the keyhole opposite the lock bolt and can be found in this form as early as the Vendel period, which preceded the Viking Age. In the 8th or 9th century, new innovations for padlocks led to a T-shaped keyhole on the front of the lock, which can probably be traced back to models from China.

In addition to box-shaped or barrel-shaped padlocks, there were also other types of locks in the Viking Age, in particular flat chest locks with sophisticated locking mechanisms and even door locks.

Locks and keys were of particular importance in Viking Age culture, as material wealth was considered important in the Viking Age and locks were necessary to secure this wealth in wooden chests. As a result, keys became a symbol of status, rank and wealth in the Viking Age, often elaborately constructed and even worn as jewellery.