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Saarland
An eventful history. The political evolution of the smallest
German state (apart from the city-states) mirrors the vicissitudes
of German history in the 20th century. After World War I, upon
the entry into force of the Treaty of Versailles in 1920, this
coal and steel region was detached from the German Reich and placed
under the administration of the League of Nations. In 1935 the
people of the Saar voted by a majority of more than 90 percent
in favor of its political reintegration into Germany. The same
thing happened after World War II. France, the occupying power,
closed off the border between the Saarland and the rest of Germany.
In a referendum held in 1955, the Saarlanders again voted by a
large majority in favor of the return of the Saar to the Federal
Republic. France's consent to this wish was a milestone in the
process of Franco-German reconciliation. The reintegration of
the Saarland on 1 January 1957 was effected in accordance with
Article 23 of the Basic Law (the German constitution) - setting
a precedent for the process of German unification in 1990.
City, state and river. The Saarland takes its name from
the Saar River, a tributary of the Mosel; the Saar also appears
in the names of the state's largest cities. The Saar meanders
charmingly through scenic countryside - a popular destination
for tourists and hikers is the loop of the Saar at Cloef near
Orscholz. Grapes grown along the lower reaches of the Saar yield
a wine prized by connoisseurs. Saarlanders have a partiality for
more than the wine, however: Their local cuisine combines German
tradition with French refinement - just one example of the symbiosis
of the French and German way of life which is typical of the Saarland.
The state capital Saarbrücken (189,000 inhabitants) is also
an industrial hub and a convention center, the venue of the International
Saar Fair. One fine Baroque building is the Ludwigskirche built
in 1762-1775 by Friedrich Joachim Stengel. The University of the
Saarland in Saarbrücken, the colleges of art and music, and
other higher education institutions and Fachhochschulen are attended
by many students from neighboring countries as well. Saarbrücken
offers a wide variety of cultural attractions including film and
theater festivals, museums, orchestras and choral groups. A native
of the city, the director Max Ophüls (1902-57), made film
history with his delightful comedies.
The name of the city of Saarlouis recalls the fact that here,
about 300 years ago, the French king Louis XIV ordered his military
engineer Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban to erect a fortress
to defend his conquests in the western part of Germany. Today
Saarlouis is an important industrial city (automobiles, steel,
food and electronics).
Völklingen was molded by the ironworks founded here in 1873,
which by 1890 had already become one of the former German Empire's
principal iron producers. This ironworks eventually became unable
to compete on the world's markets and was shut down in 1986; substantial
parts of it, however, were preserved. Today it is an industrial
museum and is used for cultural purposes. In 1995 the Völklingen
ironworks was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
One of Europe's core regions. "The Saarlanders show us by their example how it is possible to be a good Saarlander, a good German, a good European and a good neighbor all at the same time.” Thus the former Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker characterized the people of the Saar. The Saarland in Germany, Lorraine in France, and Luxembourg - often referred to by the abbreviation "SAAR-LOR-LUX” - are developing ever closer ties, not least as a result of extensive new transportation projects. Traditional branches of industry of supraregional importance are glass and ceramics as well as mechanical engineering, metal processing and chemicals. The Saarland has also developed a sophisticated research sector. Future-oriented areas of emphasis include information and communications technology, materials research, electronics, production technologies and medical technology. Numerous top-notch university and university-affiliated institutes form the interface between research and practical applications: the Max Planck Institute for Computers, for example, as well as the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing, the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Technology, the Institute for Information Systems and the world-famous Institute for New Materials.