The Natural Park Our-Luxemburg

The Natural Park Our - Luxembourg

The Natural Park Our is situated in the North-East of Luxembourg, in a borderland with Germany and Belgium. 11 municipalities covering a surface of 306 km2 and inhabited by 14’000 people confederated in order to find a balance between nature conservation and economical development of the region.

Named after the Our river, this dynamic region is an ideal holiday place for hikers and lovers of nature, culture and gastronomy.

The Natural Park impresses with the diversity of its landscapes. Wanderers can walk across the plains of the tablelands, or descend into the romantic rocky valleys. On the plateaus, you can discover several wetlands, precious habitats for a great number of plants and endangered bird species.

But the true treasure of this borderland is the valley of the middle Our, situated in between the site of the three frontiers - the point where Belgium, Germany and Luxemburg meet - in Lieler and the village Dasbourg: for about 20 kilometres, nature presents itself in its pure state, without motor traffic, an exceptional landscape – and virtually unknown. Here, the visitor discovers an extraordinary fauna and flora that absolutely needs to be preserved.

History and traditions are still maintained in the population, and visitors are invited to take part in these. The Museum of the Mine in Stolzembourg shows the eventful history of the extraction of copper ore in the valley of the Our. The Rural Museum in Munshausen is worth the journey; it portrays the life of the farmers in the past and the old crafts techniques.

Modern agriculture does not hesitate either to present itself to the visitors. In the Natural Park Our, numerous projects have been initiated to improve the economical situation in agriculture through the development and commercialisation of regional produces. In this context, it is important to mention the Cornelyshaff in Heinerscheid, a centre of promotion of regional produces, with its micro brewery, its restaurant and café, its regional shop and its guestrooms. At the Cornelyshaff, the “Ourdaller Maart” (Ourdaller Market) is held every last Saturday of the month from March to November. This Market is an excellent opportunity to get in touch with the producers of the regional specialities.

The Our Nature Park is also known for its castles. In Vianden, Luxembourg’s most impressive castle lords over the valley of the Our. One of the main attractions of the charming city of Clervaux is its castle, accommodating the unique photo collection “The Family of Man”, due to its American photographer with Luxembourgish roots, Edward John Steichen.

Within the framework of the Natural Park, nature and technology are not mutually exclusive. Quite the contrary: not far from Vianden, the embanked water of the Our is used for electricity production. Come visit the hydroelectric station of the SEO, go for a walk through the wind turbines in Heinerscheid or discover the installations of biomethanation who produce energy from agricultural biomass.

www.naturpark-our.lu