Oesling

The Ösling ( Luxembourgish Éislek, colloquially known as Jeng, from Celtic: Osninga = mountain range ) is the northern part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ( Luxembourg Ardennes ) (about 33 % of its land area ) and the northern part of the Eifel district Bitburg -Prüm (also called Islek ). It comprises, in essence, the district Diekirch with the cantons of Clervaux, Diekirch, Redingen, Vianden and Wiltz. In Ösling are the natural park Oberauer and Our nature reserve.

Geography and climate

The Ösling is an extension of the Ardennes and averages 400 to 500 meters above sea level. The landscape is dominated by high plateaus on the one hand and deep river valleys with distinctive Talmäandern other. The large difference in height makes you look at the Our Vianden advantage. There is the largest pumped storage power plant in Europe. The Kneiff in Wilwerdange (municipality Ulflingen ) is at 559 m, the highest peak of the Grand Duchy. The climate has relatively high rainfall (800 to 1000 mm per year) and low mean annual temperatures (7.5 to 8 ° C ).

The main river of the Ösling is the Sauer. The reservoir above Esch supplied a large part of Luxembourg with drinking water. Add to this the Wiltz with the Klerf, its largest tributary, and the Our, which marks the border between Luxembourg and Germany here.

Geology

Geologically, the region belongs to the Ardennes and thus to the Rhenish Slate Mountains. Accordingly, it is divided by a series variskisch trending anticlines and synclines. Here only possible on rocks from the Lower Devonian ( Emsian and Pragian or Siegenian ). This is mainly to shale and quartzite. To the south along a line marked by Roodt (municipality Ell ) to Roth an der Our (D, Vianden ) the transition to the Triassic rocks of the boundary between the Ösling and the Gutland. Just like the mountain folds, this limit is following the Variscan strike. The Ösling continues in the German district of Bitburg -Prüm, but is also counted as the " Belgian Eifel ".

Vegetation

The Ösling is the most wooded part of Luxembourg (55 % of Luxembourg's forest area). The natural forest community, the Luzulo -Buchwald, now occurs only on 15 % of the area. The Lohhecken, an oak forest peeling, still comprise 35 % of the forest area. The deciduous forest has been replaced, especially since the Second World War a large area by coniferous forest ( spruce and Douglas fir ) and now comprises almost 50 % of the forest area. In addition, coniferous forest - afforestation of many wetlands came into the narrow side valleys. On steep, dry, south-facing slopes, there are thermophilic oak woods, on north-facing slopes and in narrow stream valleys, however, also canyon forest -like distinct forest communities.

In Ösling you will find a number of rare animal and plant species such as the wild cat, Hazel Grouse and Black Stork or wild daffodils and Pasque ( at Lellingen ). At the Our there is a project for the protection and breeding of the freshwater pearl mussel. Even the beaver seems to be slowly home again.

Attractions

In sparsely populated Ösling are some small historic towns, such as Diekirch, Vianden, Clervaux, Wiltz and Esch- Sauer.

Also worth seeing are the castles and ruins of Ösling, eg in Vianden, Burscheid, Clervaux and Brandenburg.