Birka was the Swedish Viking Age trading settlement on the island of Björkö in Lake Mälaren.
Founded in the eighth century, Birka became one of Scandinavia’s most important commercial centres. Its position on Lake Mälaren connected the Baltic Sea with inland Sweden, allowing merchants to exchange furs, amber, iron, textiles and silver.
The settlement had strong international links. Archaeologists have found coins and objects from regions including the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic world and western Europe. The missionary Ansgar visited Birka in 829, making it an important site in accounts of the early Christianisation of Sweden.
Birka is sometimes confused with Sigtuna, another important Swedish medieval town. Birka declined during the late Viking Age, while Sigtuna became a major political and commercial centre on the mainland. Today, Birka’s archaeological remains and museum are part of the UNESCO-listed site known as Birka and Hovgården.