Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret
The Jardin botanique alpin du Lautaret is an alpine botanical garden located at 2100 metres altitude in the Col du Lautaret of the Dauphiné Alps, near Villar-d'Arêne, Hautes-Alpes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged.
The garden was created in 1899 by combined effort of the Touring Club de France, Professor Jean-Paul Lachmann of the Université scientifique de Grenoble, and M. Bonnabel, local hotelier. It was moved in 1919 to make way for a new road, and is now sited with excellent views of the Meije glaciers. The garden was abandoned during World War II, subsequently restored by Robert Ruffier-Lanche, declined again after his death in 1973, and revived in the early 1980s. In 1998 it was recognized by the Conservatoire des Collections Végétales Spécialisées, and in 2005 it became a part of the Station Alpine Joseph Fourier.
Today the garden contains more than 2,100 species of alpine plants from around the world, and continues to be managed by the Université Grenoble Alpes as it has since its creation. Plants are presented in rockeries corresponding to four major themes: geographical origin, habitat, properties, and taxonomy.
