The Jostedal Glacier is the largest glacier on the European
mainland, but the Jostedal Glacier National Park
can also boast many other large and small glaciers. The
glaciers are nature’s own laboratory, especially when it
comes to climate change, geology and vegetation/flora.
The movement of the glaciers means that the landscape
in the park is undergoing constant change. The melt
water from the glaciers joins forces and becomes glacial
rivers that cascade down the steep mountainsides
towards the lakes and sea below - one of the unique
qualities of the Jostedal Glacier National Park. The national
park offers huge variety, from lush green valleys to
alpine mountains and an Arctic climate, with the heart of
the park consisting of untouched nature that can only be
reached on foot. In towards the glaciers are areas of interesting
cultural landscape, still in use today for farming
and grazing. One of the most characteristic features of
the Jostedal Glacier in the old days was the kinship and
solidarity between the communities linked by the glacier
and how ancient tracks crisscrossed the glacier from one
side to the other.7 municipalities share sections of the national park,
which lies between two of the longest fjords in the world,
Sognefjorden and Nordfjorden. The Jostedal Glacier National
Park was established in 1991 and covers an area
of 1310 km².