The University Botanical Garden in Oslo (Botanisk hage) was established in 1814. Learn more about the history of Oslo Botanical Garden.
The Natural History Museum’s premises include two museums: the Geological and Zoological Museum and the Botanical Gardens. In 1814, the Norwegian elite wanted to develop business and make the new nation self-sufficient. They envisioned that the Botanical Garden would significantly develop Norway’s natural resources.
King Frederik VI of Denmark acquired the estate and gifted it to the University of Christiania in 1812. In 1814, work began on the University Botanical Garden. The University of Oslo’s oldest building, Tøyen Manor (Tøyen hovedgaard), is in the garden. Today, the historic Tøyen Manor houses temporary exhibitions and a café for staff and visitors.
The garden originally covered 75,000 square meters but has since doubled, containing about 35,000 plants of about 7.500 unique species. Through research, education, and plant conservation, the garden seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of plant diversity.
The garden’s first director, Johan Siebke, was a botanist and public economics professor. He contributed significantly to the planning and constructing the botanical garden and its operation during its first 40 years. The Botanical Museum (Botanisk museum), which dates to 1863, was merged with the Botanical Garden in 1975.
Its highlights include the Viking Garden, where plants, rocks, and animals used during the Viking Age are displayed in a 33-meter-long ship-shaped time machine made of corten steel. The Willow Sculptures and Green Houses, especially the Victoria House, were specially constructed for the giant waterlily of the Amazon. The Great-granny’s Garden is where plants are preserved in a living archive designed to help people suffering from dementia. The aromatic Scented Garden is designed for the visually impaired.
In the book Botanical Garden 1814-2014, the author, professor emerita Liv Borgen, says that a botanical garden, and gardens in general, are never finished.
The Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is Norway’s most comprehensive natural history collection. The Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum display specimens for the general public. The Natural History Museum in Oslo is where you can see the famous fossil “Ida,” the oldest known primate fossil, and the most complete fossil of an early primate. The museum bought it in 2007 and presented it to the world in 2009.
In her book, Borgen guides the reader through the history of the garden. One of the botanists who left his mark was Frederik Christian Schübeler (1815-1892). He was the director from 1866 to 1892 and began building up what is today called the object collection: a curious, strange, and beautiful collection including fruits, seeds, and cross-sections of tree trunks.
History of Oslo Botanical Garden, written by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (top) © University of Oslo (UiO)