Esch-sur-Sûre is a commune

Communes of Luxembourg

The communes of Luxembourg are the lowest nation-wide administrative division in Luxembourg. They conform to LAU level 2.Within the hierarchy of administrative subdivisions, communes come directly below cantons, which are directly below districts. Communes are often re-arranged, being merged or...

 and small town in north-western Luxembourg

Luxembourg

Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...

. It is part of the canton of Wiltz

Wiltz (canton)

Wiltz is a canton in the north-west of Luxembourg. Its capital is the city of Wiltz. It covers an area of 264.55 km², and it has a population of 12,460. It consists of ten communes:* Boulaide* Esch-sur-Sûre* Eschweiler* Goesdorf* Heiderscheid...

, which is part of the district of Diekirch

Diekirch (district)

The District of Diekirch is one of three districts of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It contains 5 cantons divided into 43 communes:#Clervaux#*Clervaux#*Consthum#*Heinerscheid#*Hosingen#*Munshausen#*Troisvierges#*Weiswampach#*Wincrange#Diekirch...

. The commune is the second smallest in area in Luxembourg (after Remich

Remich

Remich is a commune with city status in south-eastern Luxembourg with just under 3,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Remich, which is part of the district of Grevenmacher. Remich lies on the left bank of the Moselle river, which forms part of the border between Luxembourg and...

).

, the town of Esch-sur-Sûre, which lies in the north of the commune, has a population of 314.

Esch-sur-Sûre is situated by the river Sauer

Sauer

The Sauer or Sûre is a river in Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. A left tributary of the river Moselle, its total length is 173 km....

, just east and downstream of the artificial Upper Sûre Lake

Upper Sûre Lake

The Upper Sûre Lake is a large reservoir in north-western Luxembourg. It is the largest area of water in the country. It gives its name to the commune of Lac de la Haute-Sûre, which was formed in 1979....

. The town's prominent castle

Esch-sur-Sûre Castle

Esch-sur-Sûre Castle , now a ruin, is located on a spur in the small town of Esch-sur-Sûre in the north-west of Luxembourg. It is naturally protected by a sharp meander in the River Sûre which surrounds the town and the castle on three sides.-History:...

, and the main part of the town below, sit on a spur of a land within a sharp meander of the river.

The suffix to its name distinguishes Esch-sur-Sûre from the city of Esch-sur-Alzette

Esch-sur-Alzette

Esch-sur-Alzette is a commune with city status, in south-western Luxembourg. It is the country's second city, and its second-most populous commune, with a population of 29,853 people...

, which is often known just as Esch.

Immediately above the town, the river has been dammed to form a hydroelectric reservoir extending some 6 miles (10 km) up the valley. The Upper Sûre dam was built in the 1960s to meet the country's drinking water needs.

External links

• www.petitbourg.lu Le Paradis des Ardennes Luxembourgoises