As early as 1950, discussions were held about the creation of a “National Park” or a “Nature Park” in connection with the construction of the dam wall.
After several failed attempts, the first decisive step was taken in 1989 with the establishment of the SYCOPAN syndicate of municipalities.
As a contact partner in the region, SYCOPAN helped to shape the establishment of the Nature Park, contributed to the development of the Nature Park Act in 1993 and also initiated the first projects in the region and thus for the Nature Park.
After a fairly long build-up phase with an “étude préparatoire”, an “étude détaillée”, thematic working groups, information meetings and public announcement of the planning bases, the Öewersauer Nature Park was officially established on 6 April 1999 for 10 years as the first Luxembourg nature park. In the mid-1990s, the Nature Park administration was given a permanent headquarters with the restoration of the old cloth factory in Esch-sur-Sûre: the Nature Park Centre.
The legal framework is provided by a contract between the State of Luxembourg and the municipalities located in the Nature Park. This contract was last renewed in 2016 for a further 10 years. The authority responsible for the Nature Park is the Department of Spatial Planning at the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning.
In 2010 the activities of the Öewersauer Nature Park were awarded the EDEN Prize (European Destination of Excellence).
After some municipalities were merged in 2012, the Nature Park now covered four municipalities. Since 2016, with the addition of the municipality of Wiltz, the Nature Park is composed of five municipalities.
The Öewersauer Nature Park is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019.
In January 2020, the admission process for the municipality of Goesdorf’s entry into the Öewersauer Nature Park began.
