Amid the stunning landscapes of Jotunheimen National Park in Norway lies Climate Park 2469, a center of climate education that also presents ancient artifacts and mythological imagery from the Viking Age.
The Viking Herald speaks to Thea Dalen, a key staff member at the adjacent Norwegian Mountain Center, about what to expect.
Quite the setting
Internationally, Jotunheimen National Park is largely known for the exploits of the Secrets of the Ice glacial archeologists. Among the peaks and glaciers of the Jotunheim, the Secrets of the Ice team has found countless artifacts revealed by the receding ice flows.
While the Norwegian Mountain Center presents many of these finds for visitors, Climate Park 2469 provides visitors with a chance to explore the changing landscape for themselves.
"During the Viking Age, there were reindeer trekking in this area from summer to winter pasture," Thea tells The Viking Herald. "A lot of artifacts have been found around the glaciers here, and in 2009, archeologists and local people decided to try and make more of the area."
"There is so much to tell about both the history and also climate change, which you can see quite clearly up at the park with the melting glacier," Thea explains. "There is a lot of climate science going on in this area."
To showcase these features to the full, the decision was made to construct a new visitor center that was high enough for people to experience the icy conditions but also easy to get to.
Climate Park 2469 lies at roughly 1,850 meters, near the base of Norway's highest mountain, Galdhøpiggen. Photo: Climate Park 2469
Hunting and mythology
Climate Park 2469 lies at the foot of Galdhøpiggen, Norway's highest mountain, and takes its name from the height—2,469—of the mountain.
"The Climate Park itself is situated around 1,850 meters above sea level, but it's also easily accessible because you can drive a car up there," Thea points out.
"The team constructed an outdoor arena with a path that goes over the permafrost. It's 1 kilometer in length, and it leads right into the glacier. We then manually dug an ice tunnel and a cave inside the glacier. This area is almost 400 square meters across two levels."
The cave system also contains some notable works of ice art that explore both hunting practices and Norse mythology.
"The theme inside the cave is Norse mythology, in connection to artifacts found here," Thea explains to The Viking Herald.
"You can see copies of the artifacts that have been found there outside the glacier. They are mostly connected to hunting, with different arrows and hunting or scaring sticks."
"Outside, there is also a Norwegian hunting blind, where you can see where the hunters would have lain in wait for the animals."
- READ MORE: Interview – Glacial archaeologists "Secrets of the Ice" seek rare finds in a melting world
Visitors to the park experience stunning ice tunnels and ancient artifacts while learning about the serious effects of a warming climate. Photo: Climate Park 2469
Wonder mixed with sobering reality
Beyond the magical experience of enjoying the Jotunheimen landscape alongside ancient artifacts, ice tunnels, and spectacular art, it is also hoped visitors can view and understand the effects of climate change in action.
"It's not really designed to be an amusement park experience, exactly—it's more educational," Thea admits.
"The whole experience is a guided tour. The tour is two and a half hours long and covers everything from ecology and biology to geology and glacial archeology."
"You can learn the difference between a glacier and an ice patch—actually, most of the artifacts are found on ice patches, where the ice doesn't move. Glaciers, on the other hand, move and crush artifacts."
Thea tells us that the park has proved to be a big hit with both locals and international visitors.
"It's a very popular tour," Thea adds. "The guides also talk about how climate change has impacted the whole landscape."
"This includes the melting of the ice and artifacts, but also the permafrost disappearing and how animals and plants are coming higher because of the warmer climate. You can also learn about how the weather is changing—becoming warmer, wetter, and more extreme."
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