A few years ago, the Esch-sur-Sûre Dam Water Syndicate (SEBES) moved from its headquarters and drinking water treatment facility near the local dam to a new site in Eschdorf, leaving the former premises vacant. Now, both the municipality of Esch-sur-Sûre and SEBES have different visions for the site’s future – and a recent decision by the Ministry for Culture gives the upper hand to the municipality.
Anyone driving out of Esch-sur-Sûre towards Lultzhausen may have to look closely to spot the building on the hillside, especially in summer when it is hidden among the trees. But the local authorities – and the Upper Sûre Nature Park – have no intention of letting the old SEBES building disappear from view.
On the contrary, the nature park would like to transform it into a “Water Discovery Centre”, and the municipality believes the site would be well suited for such a purpose.
However, SEBES, established in the 1960s, is reportedly not enthusiastic about the idea. Despite moving to new facilities in Eschdorf just two years ago, the water syndicate already envisions a return to the old location.
This would align with a sustainability logic, they argue, in which operations rotate between the two sites every few decades – one being phased out as the other is being upgraded. But for this to work, the old premises would need to be demolished and rebuilt, something that becomes complicated if they fall under heritage protection.
The municipality of Esch-sur-Sûre submitted a request to the Culture Ministry for the former SEBES building to be listed as a national monument. According to the ministry, this request will be granted – at least in part.
Only the main building will be protected, but this alone is likely to significantly limit SEBES’s plans. SEBES, for its part, declined to comment on the matter.
The Culture Ministry will now formally notify the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity of its decision. The latter serves as the main contact point for the municipality and the nature park concerning the development of a Water Discovery Centre.
A detailed concept is expected to be developed, likely inspired by France’s so-called ‘Maisons de l’eau’ – interactive visitor centres dedicated to water. Should the project go ahead within the former SEBES building, then it will have to adhere to the constraints that come with listed status.
Notably, the new SEBES premises in Eschdorf already host an exhibition on water, with a strong focus on drinking water, which could be one reason why SEBES remains sceptical of turning the old site into another museum-like facility.
The decision to classify the former SEBES headquarters as a national monument is largely based on the recommendation of the Commission for Cultural Heritage (COPAC). In its opinion, COPAC even suggested that three buildings on the former SEBES site should receive protected status – a recommendation the ministry ultimately chose not to follow in full.
