The area of Junkerdal National Park is considered to be one of the richest in terms of flora in Norway. The local “wild” mountains and the Junckerdalsura nature reserve located in their heart are sacred land for botanists around the world, well known in scientific circles.

Junkerdal was also an important industrial area in the past. From 1891 to 1991, minerals (copper ore and pyrite) were mined here. Today, tourists are accommodated in the former mining village of Jacobsbakken. It is a gateway to a national park where traces of mining can still be seen in the landscape. Just a few hundred meters – and the protected mountain areas begin. This striking contrast of untouched nature and human activity is a unique feature of the park.

The diversity of the local flora is due not only to the calcareous mountains, but also to the fact that many species have either the northernmost or southernmost distribution limits in these areas. Only in Junckerdal (and also in small quantities in Tromso) can Saxifraga paniculata be found. By the way, this courageous mountain lady is the sister of the botanical symbol of Norway, the pyramidal saxifrage. Growing in harsh conditions, a flower with small white inflorescences collected in rosettes was considered by Norwegian scientists, representing the country at the international botanical congress in 1935, to be the best symbol of a prosperous and resilient nation.

Of course, such a decision did not have official force, so most Norwegians, when asked about the national plant, will most likely answer – heather, which is simply more popular and is found much more often in the surrounding landscape.

 Mountains have always been important for Sami reindeer herding. Both the Norwegian and Swedish Sami communities have reindeer herds that graze in the national park. Within Junkerdal there are local populations of wolverine, moose and brown bears.

 

Many thanks for amazing photos to: Foto Sigrid Elise Lium, Kåre J. Pettersen, Johan Rova, Oskar Pettersen