Saarland Travel Guide

Introduction

Saarland is the smallest of the German Flächenländer (area states), that is to say states other than the three city-states (Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg). Its only major city and capital is Saarbrücken. The town of Mettlach is home to the world's largest manufacturer of ceramics, Villeroy & Boch.

Saarland borders on (clockwise from the North) the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, the Moselle department of France, and Luxembourg.

Its a surface area of 2,569 km² is almost exactly the same as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. With a population of 1,044,000 inhabitants, it is twice as populous as Luxembourg. Saarland is divided into 6 districts (Kreise).

People in the Saarland speak two distinct dialects of German : Rhine Franconian (in the southeast, very similar to the dialect spoken in the western part of the Palatinate) and Moselle Franconian (in the northwest, very similar to that dialect spoken along the Moselle and the cities of Trier or even in Luxembourg).

History

After Julius Caesar's conquest of the Gaul, the region of Saarland became part of the Roman Province of Gallia Belgica, then to its subdivision of Germania Superior.

Before the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, what is now Saarland belonged to the Principality of Nassau-Saarbrücken, the Duchy of Palatinate Zweibrücken, the Principality of Wied-Runkel, the Duchy of Lorraine and the Prince-Archbishopric of Trier (as well as some smaller states).

Tiny Saarland can boast having one of the best preserved and largest Roman mosaic floor north of the Alps, in the 3rd-century Roman villa of Perl-Nennig, just across the border of Luxembourg. The mosaic is composed of some 3 million tiles covering an area of 160 m2.

Attractions

Saarbrücken (※)

Saarbrücken is the capital city of Saarland, located on the border with France. Its architectural character is defined by 18th-century Baroque buildings, such as the Ludwigskirche and Saarbrücken Castle, alongside older structures like the Gothic Church of St. Arnual and the Alte Brücke, a bridge dating from 1546. The St. Johanner Markt square forms the city's commercial centre, with boutiques, bistros and restaurants. The city also hosts a number of cultural venues, including the Saarland Museum of art and the Historical Museum Saar. Nearby, the Völklingen Ironworks, a former industrial complex, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city centre is walkable, and green spaces are found along the banks of the Saar River and in the German-French Garden.

Roman Villa Borg

Roman Villa Borg is a reconstructed Roman country estate located near Perl in Saarland, Germany, and offers a detailed impression of rural life during the Roman Empire. Covering more than 7.5 hectares, the site includes fully functional Roman baths, a manor house with a museum, a reconstructed kitchen, gardens based on historical models, and a tavern serving food prepared using ancient recipes. The villa, rebuilt on its original foundations, consists of residential quarters, service buildings, and extensive gardens featuring herbs, fruit, and flowers. Ongoing archaeological work continues to reveal new insights, while the open-air museum welcomes visitors to explore original finds, replicas, and reconstructed furnishings from the Roman and pre-Roman periods. The site is open to the public for most of the year, with special events such as Roman Days held annually.