1,600 types of alpine plants and an organised structure
Chanousia was established in 1897 by the Abbot, Pierre Chanoux, then Rector of the Hospice of the Mauritian Order at Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo. The garden was at its most beautifulin around the 1920s, with 4.,500 species from all around the world. A building to host a scientific laboratory, a small museum, a library, and guestrooms for alpine botany scholars, in addition to the administrative office, was then created. However Chanousia was abandonedwith the advent of the world warand it was not until 1978that reconstruction works were begun. Today the Garden is home to 1.,600 species of alpine plants and has a scientific laboratory and a small Museum.