Upper Sûre Natural Park
Encyclopedia
The Upper Sûre Natural Park is a national park in north-western Luxembourg
. Located in the Oesling
region, the park is primarily an area of conservation and a specially protected area for wild birds.
At the heart of the park is the Upper Sûre Lake
, the largest area of water in 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...
. Located in the Oesling
Oesling
The Oesling or Ösling is a region covering the northern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, within the greater Ardennes area that also covers parts of Belgium and France...
region, the park is primarily an area of conservation and a specially protected area for wild birds.
At the heart of the park is the 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 largest area of water in Luxembourg.
Objectives
The objectives of the park are threefold:- To protect the natural environment and ecosystem. The main principle underlying ecosystem protection in the park is that the environment is an integral network in which each element interacts and affects the functioning of the while. This means preserving the indigenous flora and fauna as well as protecting the purity of air, water, and soil quality.
- To develop economic activity, mostly forestry and low-density tourism as a means of creating employment and a high quality life. As a result, the transportation infrastructure throughout the park is excellent. To achieve this, the park provides a host of leisure activities, from nature walks to tours of cultural monuments, to water sports on the Upper Sûre Lake. More than 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) of well maintained footpaths make this a popular spot for day trippers and a wide range of accommodation for the vacationer. A fair and festival is held in the park annually on the first weekend in July.
- To preserve the architecturalArchitectureArchitecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
heritage of the area, which ranges from large numbers of chapelChapelA chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s and disused mills to former slate quarriesQuarryA quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
and castle ruins.