Wasserliesch lies only about ten kilometres south-west of Trier, close to Luxembourg and almost exactly where the Saar reaches the Moselle. It is not a large place, but its position makes it much more interesting than it first appears. The village sits between the Moselle, the Albach valley and the steep Liescher Berg, and has long described itself as the “Gateway to the Upper Moselle”, the section of river running from the mouth of the Saar towards the French border. We found Wasserliesch quite different from the better-known wine villages farther downstream. There are vineyards here, but the landscape is broader and more varied, with river flats below and wooded limestone slopes rising sharply behind the houses. The settlement itself developed from the historic centres of Liesch and Reinig, both already mentioned in a document from 975, although people had been living in this area for much longer. Celtic settlement preceded the Romans, and Roman remains have been found directly in the village. When the old cemetery near the market square was cleared, archaeologists discovered walls belonging to a Roman villa rustica, together with part of its water supply and fragments of a mosaic floor. The Roman connection becomes even more obvious on the Liescher Berg. On the plateau are the remains of the so-called Altes Lager, an ancient fortified site occupying a naturally defensible position above the valleys. It is traditionally described as a Roman camp or observation post and is usually dated to around the third century, although its precise origin and purpose have never been proved with complete certainty. What is certain is why someone would choose the site: the steep edges provide natural protection and the view reaches across the Moselle and Saar valleys towards Luxembourg, the Eifel and the Hunsrück. The most interesting part of the hill today is the Perfeist nature reserve and the Orchideenpfad. The limestone grassland supports an exceptional concentration of orchids and other uncommon plants, with around 28 orchid species recorded in the area. The main flowering period is from April to June, when species including the lady orchid, lizard orchid and several different marsh and bee orchids can be found along the marked paths. Even outside the flowering season, the route is worthwhile for the open grassland, woodland and views over the valleys. There is a small free parking area at the Orchideenpfad which is used by walkers and has also become known among motorhome travellers. It is a simple place rather than an equipped motorhome area: only a few vehicles fit comfortably, there is no electricity, water or waste-disposal point, and apart from rubbish bins there are effectively no services. The attraction is the location. It sits high above the village, away from the main roads and directly at the start of the walking routes. Reports over several years consistently describe it as extremely quiet at night, although the access deserves some attention with a larger motorhome. One approach from the village includes a railway underpass with a reported clearance of about 3.3 metres, and some of the roads climbing the hill are narrow. A little farther along the hill is the Löschemer Kapelle, probably the best-known viewpoint around Wasserliesch. The small pilgrimage chapel stands high above the Moselle and can be reached either by road and walking paths or by the old Way of the Cross, whose fourteen sandstone stations are partly around two centuries old. From the chapel the view stretches across the Moselle valley, over the Saar confluence and Konz towards Trier, while Luxembourg lies immediately to the west. The river has shaped almost everything below. Reinig once had a ford and later a ferry across the Moselle towards Igel, and river transport remained important for centuries. Quarrying was another local livelihood, particularly sandstone from the Liescher Berg, while the Albach powered several mills. Some of those old mill buildings still survive, including the Karthäusermühle in the village and former mills farther up the Albachtal. Wasserliesch also sits beside an important historical battlefield. In 1675, during the Franco-Dutch War, imperial and allied forces defeated the army of Louis XIV in the Battle of Konz Bridge, fought across the plain between the Liescher Berg and the Saar. A monument on the Granahöhe commemorates General Otto de Grana, who commanded the imperial troops. It is another example of how much history is concentrated into a landscape that today looks remarkably peaceful. What we liked about Wasserliesch was precisely this mixture. It did not feel like a destination built around one major attraction. Instead, the village, rivers and hill all fitted together: Roman traces in the centre, old transport routes beside the Moselle, a battlefield on the heights and an orchid reserve only a short distance away. From below, Wasserliesch can seem like another small settlement along the river. Once we started looking at the landscape around it, it became much easier to understand why people had been using, defending and crossing this particular point between the Saar and Moselle for more than two thousand years.
