The Akureyri Botanical Garden ( , regionally also ) is a unique and significant botanical garden located in the southern part of

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

, a city in Northern

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

. Situated on the west side of the inland end of the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

Eyjafjörður Eyjafjörður (, ''Island Fjord'') is one of the longest fjords in Iceland. It is located in the central north of the country. Situated by the fjord is the country's fourth most populous municipality, Akureyri. Physical geography The fjord is ...

, at an elevation of about 45 metres, the garden is one of the northernmost botanical gardens in the world, just 85 kilometers south of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

The garden has its origins in 1910 when women from Akureyri founded the Park Association with the goal of beautifying their city. The city had granted them a hectare of land the previous year, making the Akureyri Botanical Garden the first public park in Iceland. Initially managed by the Park Society until 1953, the garden expanded to 3.6 hectares during this period. Over the years, the garden evolved into not just a place of beauty and tranquility but also a center for scientific research, demonstrating that various plants, including shrubs and trees, can thrive at the edge of the Arctic. A notable contribution to the garden was made in 1957 when the city purchased

Jón Rögnvaldsson Jón Rögnvaldsson (died 1625) was an alleged Iceland, Icelandic Magician (paranormal), sorcerer. The bailiff Magnus Björnsson had been educated in Copenhagen where he read about witch persecutions from an event in 1487. He had brought this boo ...

's plant collection. Rögnvaldsson, along with Margarethe Schiöth, played a crucial role in the development of the garden, and both are commemorated with busts within the garden. Another bust honors Matthias Jochumsson, the clergyman and poet who wrote the Icelandic national anthem. The garden hosts a diverse range of plant species, with around 400 species of Icelandic plants featured in its southeastern corner. By the end of 2007, the garden boasted approximately 7,000 species, including plants from arctic regions as well as those from temperate zones and high mountain areas. The garden is open year-round with free entrance, and during the summer, visitors can enjoy public toilets and a café offering coffee and light meals. The garden also contains several wooden houses, including Eyrarlandsstofa, one of the oldest houses in Akureyri, adding to the historical and cultural significance of the site.

References

External links

Lystigarður Akureyrar
{{Authority control Akureyri Botanical gardens in Iceland