Norwegian Centre for History of Garden Art and Landscape Architecture

Green cultural heritage encompasses historic gardens, parks and cultural landscapes. These places show how people have shaped and used the landscape over time and remain a living part of our surroundings today. The National Centre for the History of Garden Art and Landscape Architecture brings together NMBU’s research, teaching and expertise to strengthen knowledge and management of Norway’s green cultural heritage.

Full information in Norwegian

The Norwegian-language page is the Centre’s main website, with the latest news, courses, media coverage and current activities. Go to the Norwegian webpage.

Why does green cultural heritage matter?
Historic designed landscapes offer insights into past societies, culture, aesthetics, plant use and landscape management. Many such sites in Norway are not legally protected and receive limited specialist attention. Without sufficient knowledge and expertise, valuable historic environments can be lost.
Green cultural heritage can also contribute to biodiversity, carbon storage, flood and stormwater management, recreation and quality of life. It is therefore not only something to preserve, but also a resource for addressing today’s climate and environmental challenges.
What do we do?
The Centre is based at NMBU’s School of Landscape Architecture. We bring together research, teaching and practice to develop and share knowledge about historic gardens, parks and cultural landscapes. Our work is organised around four main areas:
- Research and documentation
  
  We develop new knowledge about historic gardens, parks and cultural landscapes through fields including garden art history, landscape history, vegetation history, garden archaeology and landscape architecture. We investigate and document historic sites through archival research, fieldwork, historical sources, vegetation analysis and digital methods.
- Teaching and professional development
  
  We share knowledge through teaching, student projects and continuing education. Real places and current challenges provide the basis for learning and developing new knowledge.
- Conservation, management and advisory services
  
  We develop research-based methods for the conservation, restoration, maintenance and continued development of historic gardens, parks and landscapes. We provide specialist and methodological support to public authorities, museums, owners and others working with green cultural heritage.
- Collaboration and knowledge sharing
  
  We build professional networks and forums, develop courses, publications and digital resources, and connect knowledge across research and practice.
Research infrastructure
The Centre draws on established expertise and research infrastructure at NMBU:
Historical Archive of Norwegian Landscape Architecture (ANLA)
ANLA documents the development of Norwegian landscape architecture and includes student work, maps, plans, photographs and written records. The archive also holds an extensive special collection on historic Norwegian gardens and parks.
Landscape Laboratory and living plant collections
The protected University Park and the wider NMBU campus provide settings for research, restoration, teaching and experimentation. The park contains living collections of trees and shrubs, including historic roses.
Virtual Reality Lab NMBU
The VR-Lab is used for documentation, visualisation, research, teaching and the communication of green cultural heritage.
Projects
Retiro Park in Molde
At Retiro Park in Molde, landscape architecture students are exploring how historic values can be documented and communicated in the face of pressures on land use.