Rosport village Church;
Credit: Otilia Dragan, 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 Rosport (Rouspert in Luxembourgish), a village in the municipality of Rosport-Mompach in eastern Luxembourg (Canton Echternach) with a population of about 890. Until 2017, Rosport had its own municipality, after which it merged with the municipality of Mompach.
The landscape around Rosport is characterised by forest-covered hills, by the Sûre valley and its surroundings. It is situated at the edge of the Mullerthal region, also known as "Little Switzerland," famous for its striking landscapes, cliffs, dense forests and winding rivers. The villages in the region have preserved their rural character. Local tracks lead visitors through the beautiful border region between Luxembourg and Germany.
Rosport Castle was once the home of the Luxembourg engineer, inventor, and industrialist, Henri Tudor, who developed the first commercially usable lead-acid battery. Since May 2009, the castle has been home to the Tudor Museum, featuring an exhibition based on his development of the lead-acid battery. The building also houses the municipality's administrative offices.
A thematic, circular walk named "In the footsteps of the Tudors" is available through the village of Rosport, including an audio guide with history about the Tudor family. The itinerary takes visitors through the history of Rosport and of the Tudor family via eleven stages, introducing the turbulent history of the Irminenhof, dating back to the 17th century and the mills of Rosport, where the accumulator was developed and perfected. The old train station building (the train line is no longer operational) and the school building of 1910 are further stages on the itinerary. The walk ends in the English park surrounding the Tudor Museum, the former home of Henri Tudor called "Neit Schlass" (new castle) and built in 1892.
Founded in 1959 and bearing the same name as the village, Sources Rosport SA bottles carbonated and non-carbonated mineral water from local springs near the river Sûre: Rosport Classic (sparkling), Rosport Bleu (lightly sparkling) and Rosport Viva (still). Since 2012, Rosport added Pom's to its products, a refreshing carbonated apple juice, made from apple juice with sparkling Rosport mineral water. Since the water is naturally carbonated at its source, it contains more carbon dioxide, which allows for a higher content in mineral salts. Interestingly, Rosport products are exclusively available in Luxembourg and are one of the rare products that Luxembourg does not export.
The camping area "Parking du Barrage", winner of the 2023 Europe campsite specialist ACSI Award, is also available in Rosport, adjacent to the river Sûre, surrounded by forests and a quiet reservoir suitable for water sports.
A local corn maze was created in July by the Ënnersauer youth group, headed by President Constantin Vogt, close to the Rosport hydroelectric power station. Parking spots are available close to the labyrinth. The task is to find the four hidden stations in the maze. The participation slip provided at the entrance must be punched out at all stations, filled out and thrown into the draw box. Winners will get vouchers from regional shops and restaurants, and are to be announced at the end of September. By this time, the harvest will have been brought in and the field will have been returned to its original purpose.
In the hills south of Rosport, there is Girsterklaus, a hamlet with a tiny fourteenth-century church, built on Roman foundations.
Although not in Rosport (or in Luxembourg) but close to its border in Germany, Teufelsschlucht (Devil's Gorge) is a popular natural attraction, noteworthy for its unique geological features: bizarre landscape, steep rock faces, narrow gorges and fissures as well as a small waterfall.
