Lomsdal–Visten National Park (, ) is a Norwegian national park that was established on 26 June 2009. The park consists of a total protected area of . It is located in

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

county, Norway, and covers parts of

Brønnøy Municipality Brønnøy is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre and commercial centre of the municipality is the town ...

, Vevelstad Municipality, Grane Municipality, and

Vefsn Municipality Vefsn () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns a ...

. The landscape is dominated by great diversity and many rivers. There are steep-sided

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

s with deciduous woodlands,

coniferous forest Conifers () are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All e ...

s, mountainous terrains, and alpine peaks. The rich and varied geology was another reason for protecting the area.

Karstic Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...

terrain with caves,

subterranean river A subterranean river (also known as an underground river) is a river or watercourse that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground, one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow ...

arches An arch is a curved vertical structure span (engineering), spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th mill ...

, and unusual weathering are found here.

History

Cultural heritage relics have been found that date from the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Ancient Greek language, Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic i ...

period (8000–9000 years ago) up to the present day. Traces of

Sámi culture Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

can be found in the national park dating from the time when the

Sámi Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

were hunters and gatherers up to their modern semi-domesticated reindeer husbandry. Farms that were abandoned due to the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

were re-cleared from 1500 to 1800 by ethnic Norwegians who expanded into the Sámi areas. They cleared farms along the fjords, the larger valleys, and far into the mountains. Traces of how they used the area can be seen near the farms and on outlying land. The

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

also left its mark in the Lomsdal-Visten area, and an annual march goes from inner Visten to Eiterådalen to commemorate wartime events.

Park rules

The following are park rules for visitors: * Visitors are allowed to pick wild berries and mushrooms. * Undue noise is prohibited in the national park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lomsdal-Visten National Park National parks of Norway Protected areas established in 2009 Protected areas of Nordland 2009 establishments in Norway Brønnøy Vevelstad Grane, Nordland Vefsn