Remerschen Haff Réimech
© Pancake! Photographie

Outdoors Passion Haff Réimech and Biodiversum

4 minutes

Naturally passionate!

Story summary

  • The "Haff Réimech" nature reserve and the Biodiversum offer fascinating insights into Luxembourg's nature and environmental protection strategy.
  • The Biodiversum, which was designed to resemble an inverted wooden ship, presents interesting facts about local nature over three floors.
  • Interactive tours and exhibitions show visitors how to make nature protection a part of their daily lives.
  • People like Kerstin Rose guide visitors through the area and share their knowledge about nature conservation and sustainability.

Visit the enchanting “Haff Réimech” nature reserve and its “Biodiversum” to connect with nature and learn about conservation. Enthusiastic staff share insights and guide tours.

In the beginning, there were animals. “I love animals!” says Kerstin Rose. The tall, blonde woman walks through the “Haff Réimech” nature reserve. Her gaze rests on the quiet pond. Suddenly, there’s flapping and three coots land on the water, creating ripples on the surface. They shriek three times. Then, silence.

Kerstin Rose is a guide who leads mostly young visitors through the reserve and “Biodiversum”. Step by step, literally, she in­troduces them to the world of conservation and sustainability.

Haff Réimech
© Pancake! Photographie

Futuristic meets sustainability

Kerstin is actively involved in creating the centre’s activities, like for “Bird Watching Day” where visitors can come and observe the feathered animals. Together with her colleagues she also developed a scavenger hunt to make tours even more exciting. Some of the questions are actually pretty tricky such as the “find the tiny metal birds up in the trees” challenge.

All of this is thrilling and educa­tional and requires a certain ped­agogical knack. In her previous job though, Kerstin Rose was a veterinarian, not a teacher. “But I’ve always loved this nature reserve,” she says. “It’s my favour­ite place in Luxembourg!” Her love of Luxembourg motivated her to move there. She now lives in Wintrange with her husband and their two children, not far from her job.

She applied for the “Biodi­versum” guide job without expecting to get it because her qualifications didn’t match. “I immediately realised that she is a motivated, dedicated and charis­matic person who is committed to her work and has great ideas,” says Steve Jungen.

Please make sure to enable your Cookies in case you don't see this content.

He manages the “Centre nature et forêt Biodiversum Camille Gira” and is touring the reserve with Kerstin today to view sev­eral new sites. Thrilled to be part of his team, it is clear to see that Kerstin is a woman with a calling.

All of this takes place in and around the “Biodiversum”, a futuristic and sustainable build­ing that looks like an upturned wooden ship. Three floors depict the local environment and all its elements worth protecting. For example, one timeline illustrates how the Moselle riverscape has changed: It started as a naturally wide river with branches, islands, sandbars, gravel and reed beds.

Over time, it became a straight­ened waterway with controlled water levels and mostly developed riverbanks. “A former gravel pit has turned into an ersatz-hab­itat that we nurture and keep accessible artificially so it won’t become overgrown. In this sense, our nature reserve is not wild but tended by people to protect a diversity of species. Whether it’s reed, gravel or sand beds, we have to fight shrub encroachment and even fell the occasional tree to preserve these habitats and their biodiversity,” explains Steve Jungen. The goal is to mimic the dynamics of a natural river including water levels, erosion and sedimentation.

Please make sure to enable your Cookies in case you don't see this content.

Of course the “Biodiversum” also presents all the different animal species living here. What do bitterns look like? Starlings? Cormorants? Permanent and temporary exhibits help chil­dren and adults grasp - in every sense of the word - it all. “Haff Réimech” is home to 76 percent of Luxembourg’s detected bird species and the most biodiverse local wetlands. Many migratory birds stop here on their way south.

Small steps, big impact

Sustainability and conservation are the number one priority. “Every tour through our reserve begins with an overview of our rules,” says Kerstin Rose. Even as she guides tours, both she and visitors pick up trash along the way.

Another benefit: children who don’t have much contact with nature learn about nature conservation and can share that knowledge back home. “An important point: we teach them about specific actions they can take without overwhelming or frustrating them,” says Steve Jungen. Small steps are the key. Showing people: What can I do here and now?

The reserve is home to beautiful dry stone walls with hollows full of animals and plants. There’s also an “apiary” made of various sandstones, a herb spiral and many other compelling examples of sustainable gardening and landscaping. “If only more peo­ple had dry stone walls in their gardens instead of concrete,” says Steve Jungen.

Shaped biodiversity

The path leads over wooden planks through reeds protect­ed by canopies of leaves. Some low-hanging branches form natural archways. There are viewpoints throughout the reserve, some of which are stilt huts. Every now and then, frogs dive into the water.

“Every season is gorgeous here but spring is the best,” says Kerstin Rose, while admiring her sur­roundings. “That’s when bird calls turn into an open-air concert.”

The coots chime in. Not the gen­tlest voices in the ornithological world, but definitely part of a whole.

Nature: an educational experience

Luxembourg is currently home to 60 nationally established nature reserves. This ensures that 8.116 hectares, about 3 percent of Luxembourg’s land surface, are protected. Visitors will also enjoy Luxembourg’s nature parks:

  • “Naturpark Öewersauer” is located in the north-western region of Luxembourg. At its heart lies a 3,8km2 reservoir, a recreational destination that also provides drinking water to the country. The nature park extends around the reservoir. Enjoy a long hike or cycling tour through the park. Or maybe even explore the lake with a solar boat ride?
  • Explore “Naturpark Our” in the Ardennes in the tri-border region between Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. It is shaped by the vast plateau and the narrow, romantic shale valleys formed by side creeks of the Our and Clerve rivers.
  • The history of “Natur- & Geopark Mëllerdall” began 245 million years ago in an ocean. Countless grains of sand and other particles solidified into rock. The ocean disappeared and rivers shaped this now magnificent rocky landscape.
3 results
Mëllerdall UNESCO Global Geopark
Mëllerdall UNESCO Global Geopark
Find out more
© Visit Éislek
Nature Park Our
Nature Park Our
Find out more
© Visit Éislek
Nature Park Upper-Sûre
Luxembourg's Water Region
Find out more

Get your Luci magazine at home


  • Inspiring Travel Stories from Luxembourg
  • Stories about places, people, experiences and ideas from Luxembourg
  • Order or subscribe to the magazine for free