User:Jimmy Nutella/Nature Park "Uewersauer"

Nature Park "Uewersauer"

The nature park of Uewersauer is located in the north of Luxembourg. The park was founded in the late 90's.

The communes of Bauschelt, Ell, Esch-Sauer and Wanseler lie in the nature park area, which has a total surface of 183.87 km². Located in the Oesling region, the nature park is primarily an area of conservation and a protected area for wild birds. At the heart of the park is the Lake "Stauséi", a man-made lake and the largest body of water in Luxembourg.

History

In the early 1950's the Luxembourgish government decided to go back to surface water in order to guarantee the drinking water supply. Due to the fact that Luxembourg has no natural lakes, the only way the water supply could be increased was a dam. The river valley of Esch-Sauer was an appopriate location to build the dam because there was not much population and no industry in this area. Furthermore the Sauer is lying inside the country an has no border like the Moselle, which was another point to build the dam i this area.

Between 1955 an 1957 the dam was finally built and has a height of 47m. After 1959 the lake was not only used to guarantee water the supply, but also invited people to spend their leisure time there. Swimming, diving, kayaking and sailing became the favorite activities of the visitors. But the lake was also there to produce energy and to regulate flooding around the Sauer.

Objectives

The nature park has 3 main objectives:

• Protection of the natural environment and ecosystem, which means to preserve the indigenous flora and fauna as well as protecting the purity of air, water, and soil quality.
  
• Developing economic activity, mostly forestry and low-density tourism as a means of creating employment and a high quality of life.
  
• Preserving the architectural heritage of the area, which ranges from large numbers of chapels and disused mills to former slate quarries and castle ruins.