Remerschen village sign;
Credit: Jazmin Campbell, Chronicle.lu
Throughout August, Chronicle.lu will be shining a spotlight on various villages across the Grand Duchy; the focus is mainly on some of the (perhaps) lesser-known villages with particular points of interest or an interesting history (e.g. cultural and/or industrial heritage).
The next article in this series is dedicated to Remerschen, a village in the municipality of Schengen in south-eastern Luxembourg (Canton Remich) with a population of about 770. Remerschen (Rëmerschen in Luxembourgish) is located in the picturesque Moselle wine-growing region, near the point where the borders of Luxembourg, Germany and France meet. The region is known for its mild climate, high-quality wines and breath-taking views.
Some 2,000 years ago, the Moselle valley formed part of the Roman Empire. The reconstructed second-century Gallo-Roman “op Mecheren” funerary monument in Remerschen hints at this Roman (and winegrowing) heritage. The monument was once part of a villa belonging to a family of wine merchants. It was destroyed and rebuilt on several occasions and the current structure dates to 1987; original parts are kept today in the collections of the Musée National d'Archéologie, d'Histoire et d'Art (MNAHA).
“Remerschen” was also formerly the name of the municipality until it became that of Schengen (renowned for the 1985 Schengen Agreement) in 2006. The town hall is still located in Remerschen, on the aptly named “Wäistrooss” (wine street). There are several houses, as well as the Caves du Sud winery, Le Bistrot Gourmand restaurant and a youth hostel on this street too.
Visitors to Remerschen can also admire its 18th century Catholic church (Église Saint-Sébastien), which has been featured in Luxembourg’s supplementary inventory related to classified monuments since 1967; the church and adjacent cemetery were classified as national cultural heritage monuments in 2021.
In the 1970s, Remerschen found itself at the centre of a political debate over plans to build a nuclear power plant in the area. There was some public resistance to the project, which was eventually scrapped after the Luxembourg Government failed to obtain the necessary parliamentary majority.
Today, Remerschen is home to the nature reserve and recreation area “Haff Réimech”, with its diverse bird species and other fauna and flora, with a number of purpose-built hides offering comfort for ornithologists, "twitchers" and amateur bird enthusiasts alike, around the numerous ponds and accessible via well-worn paths and boardwalks, with multi-lingual information panels available. In 2016, the “Biodiversum Camille Gira” nature conservation centre was built atop an artificial island in Haff Réimech, at the bottom of the sloping vineyards. Local architectural firm Valentiny designed the timber building (and several other buildings in the area), which is shaped like an inverted boat hull. Inside, visitors of all ages can learn about nature protection and biodiversity in the region through interactive exhibitions. Entry is free; the centre is closed on Mondays.
The nearby artificial lakes, i.e. the “Baggerweieren” (quarry ponds, where Moselle sand was extracted), attract hundreds of visitors looking to sunbathe, cool down or just relax during the warmer months. In addition to a swimming area, visitors can rent stand-up paddle boards and boats and there are courts close by on which to play volleyball or pétanque. There is also a restaurant, called Le Chalet, overlooking the lakes.
