Following an unusual heat wave that has been over Norway since the beginning of May, the Royal properties in Oslo had to stop their usual watering last week. Now the City council of Oslo has given the palace special permission to use water during the ongoing drought. This was announced by the palace in a statement on Tuesday.
The fountains in the park recycle the water. The royal gardener facilities will now run the watering systems in exposed areas every night. The watering is programmed to prioritize the areas and fields of with planting, while areas that consist only of lawn are omitted.
The Castle Park in Oslo is used by many people. Here from an event last summer. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen / Royal Central.
The special permission is due to the risk that parts of the historical gardens could dry out. The Palace has great compassion for those who do not get water and writes:
“The royal court has a great understanding of the necessity of introducing restrictions. After the restrictions were introduced, the irrigation facilities in the Castle Park and Bygdøy royal estate were switched off. Now the municipality of Oslo has given a dispensation to water so that the historic facilities will not be damaged.”
Flower decorations outside Queen Sonja art stable attached to the castle park in Oslo. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.
The Norwegian royal family owns three important buildings located in the municipality of Oslo. This is Oscarshall, a small castle on Bygdøy, The King and Queen’s summer residence Bygdøy royal estate, near Oscarshall, and the most central building is the royal palace in downtown Oslo. All of these three properties have large landscaped gardens with many rare trees and flowers that need a lot of water.
The Queen Park constitutes as a separate part of the Castle Park, dating back to 1751 when it was built as a private garden of the Sommerro estate. It became a part of the castle park in 1840. The castle park, in general, is open to the public all day, all year round. The Queen Park is open during the day from 18 May to 1 October each year.
