20. HANSINE HANSEN’S FARM-SITE

The Botanic Garden in Tromsø is situated on the site of an old farm, Southern Breivika.

Hansine Hansen´s farm. After a photograph from ca. 1950.

The Botanic Garden in Tromsø is situated on the site of an old farm, Southern Breivika. The last owner, Ms. Hansine Hansen, donated parts of the farm to educational purposes in 1938. The remaining parts of the farm were given to the County of Troms upon her death in 1947. Large parts of the University of Tromsø, as well as Breivika High School, is located on this property. The farmhouses had disappeared when the University moved in, around 1980. However, the remains of the foundations were visible here in the lower part of the Garden.

Hansine Hansen’s farm-site is now partly reconstructed. An old house (c. 1850) from downtown Tromsø was moved to the site of the main house, and was in 2002 renovated according to its original. The Friends of the Botanic Garden had made a tremendous effort to develop a café there, which has now been taken over by the Museum Shop. The foundations of a smaller house can be seen in the North Norwegian Traditional Garden.

In 2004 the staff building was built on the site of the former barn. Hansine Hansen’s farm-site now reminds us of the roots of the University as well as of the Botanic Garden.  What we now call ‘campus’ was once referred to as ‘Hansina’s Fields’. 70 years ago children used to chase the cattle to and fro here from the farms almost ‘downtown’ through two fences along the road Dramsveien…