Over the years, Viking Cruises has curated onboard experiences meant to unravel the intense curiosity of world travelers. With enrichment programs designed to celebrate the life and artwork of Norway’s most famous artist, Edvard Munch (Munch Moments), bring Puccini’s classic love story “La Bohème” to guests with behind-the-scenes access to cast and crew members (The Metropolitan Opera), and spotlight the onboard artwork via walking tours of the ships (Viking Art Guide), it only seemed logical to introduce yet another transformative initiative: Viking Resident Historian program.
This new program has a carefully selected faculty of historians providing high-level historical and cultural education that is destination specific. Giving out a fundamental understanding of historical events in certain regions is Viking’s way of tapping into the interest of its target audience. The smaller, more intimate seminar-style roundtable lectures on art, architecture, music and refresher courses on major world events will bring a deeper understanding of the present while casting a spotlight on the future.
Some lecture topics and roundtable discussions by Viking Resident Historians include:
- The Roman Empire
- The Ottoman Empire
- The Hanseatic League
- Imperial Russia
- The Elgin Marbles
- Women Explorers
- Venetian Naval Power
In addition to lectures, history-themed dinner discussions and daily office hours for further deliberations will be made available to guests. All Viking Resident Historian series will be presented in The Theater with filmed versions available for on-demand, in-stateroom entertainment in early 2018.
Here are the featured historians onboard Viking’s three ocean cruise ships:
- Charles Doherty PhD: Chief Viking Resident Historian with a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison who also attended the Courtauld Institute in London as a Fulbright Scholar. He has lectured in more than 60 countries for The National Geographic Society, the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History.
- Mark Callaghan: Specialist in 20th century European art and culture with a Ph.D. in History from the University of London, an M.A. in Art History from Oxford University and a B.A. in Art History from the University of Manchester. He will lecture on Viking Sky sailings highlighting Empires of the Mediterranean this spring.
- Colonel Tony Coutts-Britton: Lectures on the social and political aspects of European military history. He’s a graduate of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and served with the British Army in Europe and Asia. He will be on Viking Sea sailings highlighting Empires of the Mediterranean this spring.
- Fenella Bazin: Specialist in the Age of the Vikings and modern Norway with a Ph.D. from the University of Liverpool, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and a Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool’s Center for Manx Studies. He’ll lecture on Viking Star sailings highlighting Empires of the Mediterranean this spring.
Contact our cruise consultants today at 1-800-377-9383 for details on sailings and destinations.
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