In 1812, Johan Lausen Bull sold his estate at Tøyen to the Danish-Norwegian crown. He was part of the circle around Selskabet for Norges Vel, which worked to establish a Norwegian university in the years leading up to 1814. The university was founded in 1811, but its final location remained an open question for some time, and Tøyen was among the sites considered.
The university was ultimately established in the city center, where it remains today. The Tøyen estate was instead used to create the Botanical Garden (Oslo), which opened in 1814.
A collection
The botanical garden was part of the scientific infrastructure of the new university. Its purpose was to support research, teaching and the practical use of plants in medicine, agriculture and trade. The garden functioned as a collection: plants were cultivated, classified and studied. That structure is still present. Species are organized, labelled and maintained as part of a scientific system, not simply arranged for visual effect.
Over the nineteenth century, additional collections were established on the same site. Geological and zoological material was gathered, often connected to fieldwork and expeditions. These collections eventually formed what is today the Natural History Museum (Oslo), part of the University of Oslo.
The site developed gradually. Different buildings reflect different phases in Norwegian science and nation-building. The older museum structures belong to the period around 1900, when academic institutions were given monumental form. More recent additions, such as the Klimahuset, reflect contemporary priorities in climate research and public engagement.
Knowledge environment
The Botanical Garden and the museum together form a continuous knowledge environment. The garden contains living collections, including trees, perennials, and controlled environments in the glasshouses. It also includes conservation work, such as the national seed bank for wild Norwegian plants. The museum buildings contain preserved material: fossils, minerals, animal specimens and evolutionary sequences.
The scale shifts quickly within a small area. A short walk connects seasonal plant life with geological time spans of hundreds of millions of years. For visitors, this creates a compact overview of natural history, from local ecosystems to global processes.
Tøyen Manor remains at the center of the site. The building reflects its earlier role as a private estate and later as part of the university’s property. Today it is used for administration and events, and it anchors the area historically, linking the current institution to the land transactions and decisions of the early nineteenth century.
Bull's 1812 turning point
Visitor numbers underline the role of the site today. The Botanical Garden receives hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, and the museum exhibitions attract a large international audience. The site is also widely used for education, with school groups forming a significant part of the activity throughout the year.
Johan Lausen Bull’s role is not prominently visible on site, but his sale of the estate in 1812 remains a key turning point. It made possible the establishment of a scientific area that has developed continuously for over two centuries.
