The Norwegian Royal Court has announced the traditional closure of the Queen’s Park, which will reopen on 18 May 2023.
The area is part of the larger Palace Park complex, which also includes ponds and museums. The Palace Park was built between 1840 and 1857, but the area that is now the Queen’s Park has served that purpose since the mid-1700s.
The park was firstly acquired by the mayor of the small municipality in which it was located at the time and turned that unkept plot of land into a garden based on rococo principles: symmetrical flower beds, ornamental borders, surrounded by fruit trees and kitchen gardens, in a bid to put together beauty and function.
Roughly 15 years later, the plot was passed into the management of Bernt Anker, a well-known keeper in the community, who decided to keep the rococo garden and developed a more natural park in the surrounding area.
That more natural area is now the Palace Park, and it is open to the public year-round and for the entire day. The Queen’s Park, however, is the part of the park reserved for members of the Royal Family when they are in residence, which is why it is only open during the summer, when the Norwegian royals move to Mågerø, in the south of the country.
The garden keepers, together with associations that carry out projects on the grounds (most of which are open to the public and can be viewed on the royal park’s Facebook page), have worked tirelessly to create an atmosphere that not only recreates the images of the area from its inception but also have a positive impact on the environment.
Most of the plants in the park are brought in an effort to preserve biodiversity and create a new home for native species of animals, mostly insects, that have seen their habitats destroyed elsewhere.
The Queen’s Park will now be closed until next spring, but the Palace Park can be enjoyed by all members of the public every day, at all hours, for a quick walk or a peaceful stay.
