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Kongsvoll Alpine Garden
The alpine garden at Kongsvoll is situated approx. 900 metres above sea level and is a natural garden measuring 2 acres where the local flora and vegetation are kept. Here, the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology disseminates knowledge about the botanical diversity on the Dovrefjell mountains.
- Practical information
- Sub-areas of the garden
- The history of the alpine garden
- Kongsvoll Biological Station
The alpine garden is a great starting point for hikers, travellers and others who wish to learn more about the plant life on Dovrefjell. A network of paths guides you past shady rock faces and over moist hollows, across a stream and over dry ridges and knolls. On your way, you can see many of the typical types of vegetation in the mountain such as tall herb meadow, ridge vegetation, snowbed vegetation and willow thickets.
In summer, you may enjoy the floral beauty of many common mountain plants in Southern Norway, some less common plants and some particularly characterizing the rich Dovrefjell flora. In addition to vascular plants, the garden also includes many mosses and lichens. The flora and vegetation in the alpine garden are the result of natural conditions and long-term cultural influence on the landscape surrounding Kongsvoll.
The species which are in flower varies throughout the summer. The spring pasque flower bloom already in May, crimson-tipped Lousewort early in June, while several of the Gentianas are not blooming until late July. July is usually the month when the largest number of plants is in flower, and by mid-August, the floral splendour is over.
Many of the species in the garden are in flower every year, but the garden is ever changing. Some species disappear after a dry summer or a harsh winter. Some must be replanted every now and then, while others spread into the garden naturally.
