Jostedalsbreen nasjonalparksenter is a visitors center that is located in the village of Oppstryn in the municipality of Stryn

Stryn

Stryn is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn which had a population of 2,177 in 2009. The municipality is located along the innermost part of the...

 in Sogn og Fjordane

Sogn og Fjordane

is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. The center is located east of the villages of Loen

Loen

Loen is a village in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the inner part of the Nordfjord region. Loen is located about north of Olden and about southeast of the municipal center of Stryn. The lake Lovatnet is located just to the southeast of Loen...

 and Olden

Olden, Norway

Olden is a village and urban area in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway.-Location:Olden is located at the mouth of the Oldeelva river in the Oldedalen valley along the Nordfjord. It is about southwest of the village of Loen, about a drive southeast of the municipal...

, on the shore of the lake Oppstrynsvatn

Oppstrynsvatn

Oppstrynsvatn is a lake in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located about east of the municipal center of Stryn. The villages of Flo, Oppstryn, and Erdal are located on the shores of the lake.The lake has an area of and is surrounded by many large mountains...

. The mountain Skåla

Skåla (Sogn og Fjordane)

Skåla is a mountain in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The mountain is located about east of the village of Loen and about south of the lake Oppstrynsvatn. There are two summits to the mountain, one at and one at above sea level. The latter one is sometimes...

 and the glaciers Briksdalsbreen

Briksdalsbreen

Briksdalsbreen is one of the most accessible and best known arms of the Jostedalsbreen glacier. Briksdalsbreen is located in the municipality of Stryn in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The glacier lies on the north side of the Jostedalsbreen, in Briksdalen which is located at the end of the...

 and Jostedalsbreen

Jostedalsbreen

Jostedalsbreen is the largest glacier in continental Europe. It is situated in Sogn og Fjordane county in Western Norway. Jostedalsbreen lies in the municipalities of Luster, Balestrand, Jølster, and Stryn. The highest peak in the area is Lodalskåpa at a height of .Jostedalsbreen has a total area...

 are located to the southwest of this visitor's center.

Jostedalsbreen nasjonalparksenter is one of the three visitor's centers in Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen National Park

Jostedalsbreen National Park is a national park in Norway that encompasses the largest glacier on the European mainland, Jostedalsbreen. The park was established by royal decree on 25 October 1991, and then in 1998, it was enlarged to the northwest...

. The center is owned by a private foundation. Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland

Gro Harlem Brundtland is a Norwegian Social democratic politician, diplomat, and physician, and an international leader in sustainable development and public health. She served three terms as Prime Minister of Norway , and has served as the Director General of the World Health Organization...

 officiated at the formal opening of the center on 19 June 1993, although it was opened to the public in 1992.

The main building at the Centre was constructed in a manner similar to Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

 long house

Long house

A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building built by peoples in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe and North America....

s where pillars rather than the walls are supporting the roof. The Viking longhouse here is the size of the biggest actual longhouse found in Norway. There is also a cinema building which is used to show a panorama film of the glaciers in the park. The center also has a botanical garden

Botanical garden

A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...

 and geological park with native plants and rocks. The main building houses exhibits about the area's culture, animal life, and history. There is also information about avalanche

Avalanche

An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...

s.