Viking Park is a cultural landmark in Gimli that celebrates the community’s deep Icelandic roots. The park surrounds the town’s iconic 15-foot fibreglass Viking statue, designed by Gissur Eliasson of the University of Manitoba and built by sculptor George Barone. The statue was unveiled in 1967 by Iceland’s President Ásgeir Ásgeirsson as part of Canada’s Centennial celebrations and has since become one of Gimli’s most recognizable symbols.
The modern Viking Park was completed in 2017 to mark the 125th anniversary of the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba and Canada’s 150th birthday. Accessible walkways wind through gardens filled with Indigenous plants, commemorative stones, and playful figures of trolls and elves. Along the pathways, visitors can explore heritage displays and monuments recognizing Icelandic families and community builders who shaped the region.
A highlight of the park is the Fjallkona Walkway, a timber boardwalk honouring the women who have served as the Fjallkona, the symbolic “Lady of the Mountain” representing Icelandic culture during the Icelandic Festival. Stainless steel plaques list past and present Fjallkonur, with space for future honourees.
Viking Park also connects to Gimli’s harbour through the Connectivity Project, featuring tree-lined pathways, the Breakwater Timber Boardwalk, wayfinding markers, and commemorative spaces, including the town cenotaph. Together, these spaces create a scenic and meaningful walk through Gimli’s history, culture, and connection to Icelandic heritage.
This impressive 15-foot high statue stands guard along the shores of Lake Winnipeg.The Viking, erected in 1967 as part of the Manitoba Centennial project, honors ancestors of the Icelandic people who settled the Gimli area (then New Iceland) in 1875.
Location/Directions: South end of 2nd Ave. in Gimli
GPS Coordinates: GPS-N50 37.788 W096 59.209
