From the birth to the 1945

The history of Gran Paradiso National Park is linked to the protection of the ibex. In 1856 King Vittorio Emanuele II declared these mountains a royal hunting reserve, thus saving the ibex from extinction. Its population in those years had been reduced to an alarmingly low level.

The king set up a corps of specialized guards and ordered the laying down of paths and mule-tracks which are still today the best network path system for the protection of the fauna by the modern rangers and form the nucleus of the nature trails for tourist excursions.

In 1919, King Vittorio Emanuele III declared his intention to donate the 2100 hectares of the hunting reserve to the Italian State, for the creation of a national park. On 3 December 1922 the Gran Paradiso National Park was established, Italy's first national park. The protected area was run, until 1934, by a commission with full administrative autonomy. These were positive years for the park: the ibex population increased considerably and the 340 kilometres of royal mule-track were restored.

In the same period, however, there was a reduction of the original borders and important hydroelectric works were carried out in Valle Orco.