On the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the ‘Villacher Alpenstraße’ on 3 June, 1961, the idea for the construction of an Alpine Garden by Mayor of Villach Gottfried Timmerer on the ‘Villacher Alpe’ was born. Then Karl Kucher, a businessman from Villach and member of the ‘Alpenverein Villach’, put this idea into practice. He found many like-minded people in the Alpine Association.
After a suitable placement was found on the ‘Dobratsch’ at 1500m above sea level, the association "Alpengarten Villacher Alpe" was founded in 1966. With the help of numerous voluntary employees and with the support of the city of Villach, the garden was opened to the public on 1 July, 1973.
The goal of the association "Alpengarten Villacher Alpe" is to give the thousands of visitors of the local mountain an overview of the flora of the Southern Alps. The association is supported by entrance fees, donations and contributions of more than 800 members. All people who take care of the flowers do this job on a voluntary basis. The Petergstamm (Primula auricula) was selected as the logo for the alpine garden, because this flower is particularly noticeable in the ‘Villacher Alpe’ by its strong yellow color and the intense green of the leaves in spring.