Wolfsschlucht (Echternach)

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The Wolfsschlucht (2015).

The Wolfschlucht ( lux. : Wollefsschlucht, French. : Gorge du Loup) is a close above the north-western edge of Echternach preferred by Diaklasen extension in Luxembourg sandstone resulting gorge .

The gorge is crossed by the hiking trail that leads from the “Trooskneppchen” viewing pavilion to the Äsbach valley. It is one of the most spectacular natural monuments in Luxembourg's Little Switzerland . In the entrance there is a tall, obelisk-like rock called " Cleopatra's Needle ". Behind it, the side walls of the gorge rise 40 to 50 meters.

The gorge was only opened for tourism in 1881. Before that, it was practically inaccessible. In 1881 it was also given its current name, which does not correspond to a field name, but goes back to a trier excursionist who enthusiastically compared it with the Wolfsschlucht from Carl Maria von Weber's " Freischütz " .

Before the gorge was known as "Teufelsscharte" - "Däiwelsschoart" in the Echternach dialect. Afterwards this name was only used for the exit area of ​​the gorge towards the Äsbach valley, and later only for a very narrow crevice in this area that leads into a narrow cave about forty meters deep.

The Echternach Wolfsschlucht has nothing to do with the wolf , the last specimen of which was shot in Luxembourg in April 1893 - contrary to the generally accepted view until recently. The last wolf in the area of ​​the municipality of Echternach was shot in 1871, not in the Wolfsschlucht, but at "Manertchen". The last wolf in the canton of Echternach was shot in Geyershof ( municipality of Bech ) in 1883 .

From a botanical point of view, the Wolfsschlucht area stands out due to the gorge forest rich in moss and ferns , which has developed on the slope outside the gorge.

literature

  • Y. Krippel: The forests on Luxembourg sandstone. In: Y. Krippel (Ed.): The Little Switzerland of Luxembourg: Mysterious rocky landscape in the course of time. 1st edition. Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois, Musée national d'histoire naturelle, Administration des eaux et forêts, Luxembourg 2005, pp. 133–155. [Bibliography: 243-244].
  • JA Massard: Wolves in Luxembourg. In: Lëtzebuerger Almanach 1987. Luxemburg 1986, pp. 353–374. (PDF)
  • JA Massard: Wolfsschlucht and Wolf Stories: Wolves in the Canton of Echternach. In: Annuaire de la Ville d'Echternach. Volume 1994, 1995, pp. 239-272. (PDF)
  • JA Massard: Historical and scientific expedition through the canton of Echternach. In: Nos Cahiers. Volume 19, No. 2-3, 1998, pp. 363-393. (PDF)
  • JA Massard: How the Wolfsschlucht in Echternach got its name. In: Lëtzebuerger Journal. No. 82, 28th Abrëll 2011, pp. 20–21. (PDF) (text with footnotes and sources: PDF )

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Massard 2011.
  2. ↑ Massard 1986, p. 372.
  3. ^ Massard 1995.
  4. ↑ Massard 1995, p. 263.
  5. ↑ Massard 1998, pp. 374-375; Krippel 2005, pp. 139-140.

Coordinates: 49 ° 48 ′ 53 ″  N , 6 ° 24 ′ 7 ″  E