Wolfsschlucht

One of the most spectacular natural monuments of Luxembourg's Little Switzerland region is the "Wolfsschlucht" near Echternach. The structure and stratification of the Luxembourg sandstone can be clearly seen on the rock walls that rise to 50 meters. The mighty gorge was created when blocks of Luxembourg sandstone separated from the sandstone plateau along parallel gorges. The clayey marl layer under the sandstone collects the ingress of water and causes the sandstone blocks to slide into the valley and be tilted. At the entrance to the gorge is the so-called "Cleopatra's Needle", a tall obelisk-like rock needle. The gorge was given its characteristic name only in 1881 by a visitor from Trier, previously it was called "devil's crevice" - "Däiwelsschoart" in the dialect of Echternach.

Pascal Brackman