Giele Botter, Nature reserve in Esch-sur-Alzette Canton, Luxembourg
Giele Botter is a nature reserve in the Minette region with several hiking trails that wind through varying elevations and forest landscapes. The terrain mixes gentle hills with open areas where nature has reclaimed the land after industrial use.
The area was an open-pit iron ore mining site until 1977, when extraction stopped and the landscape began to change. It gained official conservation status in 1991, marking its formal protection as a nature reserve.
The reserve connects to the Fond-de-Gras railway station, where visitors can experience Luxembourg's industrial heritage through preserved mining structures and steam trains.
The area is accessible by car with a parking lot about 1 kilometer from Fond-de-Gras toward Niederkorn. Hiking trails vary in length and difficulty, allowing visitors to choose routes suited to their fitness level.
The reserve is home to 19 orchid species, including rare red helleborine and common bee orchids. This biodiversity emerged thanks to the special soil conditions created by former mining activity.
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