 The museum grew out of the archaeological investigation of sunken viking ships in Foteviken Bay and local interest in the Battle of Fotevik, which was fought there on 4 June 1134.A group headed by Björn M. Buttler Jakobsen formed a foundation called SVEG (Scandinavian Viking Explorer Group) in 1987.In 1993, the foundation started planning to open a maritime museum; in 1995, after changing their focus towards Viking Age living history, they opened Foteviken Museum, with Jakobsen as its director.