Rondane holds a special place in Norwegian conservation: it was the country's first national park, established on 21 December 1962. The protection of these mountains was a milestone, proving that Norway was willing to set aside large wilderness areas at a time when hydropower development was consuming rivers and valleys across the country.
The park covers 963 square kilometres of high alpine terrain, with ten peaks above 2,000 metres. The mountains are older and more rounded than the jagged Jotunheimen range to the west, giving Rondane a softer, more open character. Rondslottet, the highest peak at 2,178 metres, translates as the Round Castle. The area is also one of the last strongholds for Europe's southernmost wild reindeer population.
Harald Sohlberg's iconic 1914 painting Vinternatt i Rondane (Winter Night in Rondane) made these mountains a national symbol. The view he painted, looking south from Grimsdalen toward the blue winter peaks, is one of the most reproduced images in Norwegian art. The original hangs in the National Museum in Oslo.
The park covers 963 square kilometres of high alpine terrain, with ten peaks above 2,000 metres. The mountains are older and more rounded than the jagged Jotunheimen range to the west, giving Rondane a softer, more open character. Rondslottet, the highest peak at 2,178 metres, translates as the Round Castle. The area is also one of the last strongholds for Europe's southernmost wild reindeer population.
Harald Sohlberg's iconic 1914 painting Vinternatt i Rondane (Winter Night in Rondane) made these mountains a national symbol. The view he painted, looking south from Grimsdalen toward the blue winter peaks, is one of the most reproduced images in Norwegian art. The original hangs in the National Museum in Oslo.