Breheimen National Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Breheimen National Park | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Gamle Strynefjellsvegen | |
 Interactive map of Breheimen National Park | |
| Location | Innlandet and Vestland, Norway |
| Nearest city | Skjolden, Bismo |
| Coordinates | 61°43′10″N 7°05′48″E / 61.7195°N 7.0967°E |
| Area | 1,671 km2 (645 sq mi) |
| Established | 2009 |
| Governing body | Directorate for Nature Management |
Breheimen National Park (Norwegian: Breheimen nasjonalpark) (lit. 'Home of The Glaciers') is a national park that was established in 2009. The park is located in Skjåk Municipality and Lom Municipality in Innlandet county and in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The park covers 1,671 square kilometres (645 sq mi) of the Breheimen mountain range. The park encompasses some of the wettest and driest terrain in the country, with landscapes shaped over hundreds of thousands of years by glaciers, avalanches and other geological processes. Visitors encounter everything from lush transhumance‑farmed valleys to barren plateaus, soaring peaks and active glaciers.[1]
Breheimen was first proposed as a national park in the Government's Second National Park Plan (white paper 1986), which was adopted by the Storting in 1992. Actual planning was delayed until 2005, when the Directorate for Nature Management charged the County Governors of Sogn og Fjordane and Oppland with preparing a formal proposal. Under a 1999 government directive to strengthen local involvement, the 2005–2009 process featured extensive stakeholder participation (including land‑owners, municipal and county bodies, and NGOs) and even led to the proposal of an on‑site information centre in Mørkridsdalen. The park was officially designated by Royal decree in August 2009.[2]
The formation of the park in August 2009 prompted Skjåk Municipality—within whose borders most of the park falls—to reorient its development planning towards nature‑based branding and infrastructure. Initiatives included the "Skjåk 79 – a pure experience!" marketing campaign (alluding to the 79 % of the municipality under protection) and the establishment of a competence and resource centre for environmental management alongside the park's administration.[3]
Archaeology
Archaeological evidence attests to human use of these mountains since the end of the last Ice Age. Most notably, in summer 2011 a well‑preserved man's coat dating to about 300 AD was recovered from a melting glacier bed, now the oldest extant garment found in Norway.[4] Remains of medieval sælehus shelters and ancient reindeer‑hunting traps are also visible.[1]
