Sound Trail (Klangwanderweg)

At that time, the former municipality of Hoscheid did not ask itself what the Nature Park could do for us, but how we could contribute to the Nature Park. The basic idea was to create an alternative hiking trail to move the focus from the sensitive habitat of the “Molberlay” to a more family-friendly offering. Thus, the municipality, together with the Nature Park, reflected on which attraction they could aim to have in the municipality.

On the one hand, it was recognized that a steering measure was needed to divert attention away from the sensitive habitat along the “Molberlay”; on the other, the municipality also wanted to create a tourist offering, as at the time other nature park municipalities were also launching comparable projects.
But what could the unique selling point for the municipality of Hoscheid be? Clervaux had opted for images, while Vianden was relying on literature.

The idea of a themed hiking sound trail was born – it was an obvious choice in view of the local topography. The high plateaux with their strong westerly winds and the forests with their diverse sounds provided the perfect starting point for this.
Moreover, the former municipality became a place of interest on tourist maps thanks to the Sound Trail.

Together with the partners, an approach was chosen that meets the requirements. Artists from Luxembourg and abroad were invited to develop the individual stopping points together. Since 2002, inspections and repairs have been carried out annually on the sound points, and new ones have been added over the years. In addition, a “sound rucksack” – which can be rented free of charge – containing additional material was designed, as well as instructions with ideas for games at the sound points.

– The then municipality of Hoscheid (today the municipality of Parc Hosingen)

– The Our Nature Park

– Forestry Administration, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture

– Subsequent partners: Regional Tourist Office of the Luxembourg Ardennes (ORTAL, now ORT Éislek), Hoscheid Tourist Office, “Frënn vun der Schlënner”.

Hoscheid and its Sound Trail are now well-known and a popular destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
Thanks to this trail, other municipalities have expressed an increased interest in comparable theme trails.

As most of the land along the trail is privately owned, the owner’s consent had to be obtained for each sound point.
Initially, it was not easy to implement a trail route without including the attractive habitat of the “Molberlay”.

If such a project is to have a long life, it requires cooperation between all partners, even after several years. Only then are the time, expense and effort manageable and interesting for each partner.
Very little modern technology was used for this trail (only for one sound point). Such technology was not needed to work out an attractive theme trail either.