Saarbrücken

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Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken ^* is the capital of the Saarland Bundesland in Germany. Geographical location . Population 179,000. The city sits at the heart of a metropolitan area of 1.1 million people.

Saarbrücken used to be the industrial and transport centre of a great coal basin; factories here produced iron and steel, sugar, beer, pottery, optical instruments, machinery, and construction materials. However, over the past decades the industrial importance of Saarland has declined, as it is much cheaper, even for German companies, to import coal from lower-wage countries instead of buying it here.

Historic landmarks in the city include the stone bridge across the Saar (1546), the Gothic church of St Arnual, the 18th century Saarbrücker Schloss (castle) and the old part of the town, the St. Johanner Markt. In 1815 Saarbrücken came under Prussian control, and for two periods in the 20th century (1919-1935 and 1945-1957) it became part of the Saar territory under French administration. For this reason, coupled with its proximity to the French border, it retains a certain French influence.

Basilica:^*]

St Arnual:^*

Schloss:^*

History

Roman Empire

The Saar area was incorporated into the Roman Empire in the 1st century BC, and later came under control of the Franks. In 925 it became part of the Holy Roman Empire, but a strong French influence continued.

Middle Ages to 18th century

From 1381 to 1793 the counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken were the main local rulers. Often a prize contended for by its stronger neighbours, the area came under French domination in the 16th century and was incorporated into France in the 1680s. France was forced to relinquish the Saar in 1697, but from 1793 to 1815 regained control of the region.

19th century

After 1815 much of the area was part of the Prussian Rhineland Province. During the 19th century the coal and iron resources of the region were developed. However, French army oppupied her between August 2-August 4 in Franco-Prussian War.

20th century

Under the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the Saar coal-mines were made the exclusive property of France for a period of 15 years as compensation for the destruction of French mines during the war. The treaty also provided for a plebiscite, at the end of the 15-year period, to determine the territory's future status, and in 1935 more than 90 per cent of the electorate voted for reunification with Germany. The Saar subsequently rejoined Germany.

World War II

Heavily bombed in World War II and made part of the French Zone of Occupation in 1945, the area was made a separate zone in 1946. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, the French tried to make the Saar a separate state. In 1955 the area requested early incorporation into Germany, and on January 1, 1957, the Saar, under the name Saarland, became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Infrastructure

The city is served by the Saarbrücken-Ensheim Airport (SCN) and is also the home of the main campus of Saarland University (Universität des Saarlandes). Saarbrücken has a tramway called the Saarbahn.

Region

Some of the closest big cities are Trier, Luxembourg, Nancy, Metz, Karlsruhe and Mannheim. Saarbrücken is also connected by the city's public transport network to the town of Sarreguemines in France, allowing easy crossing of the border between one country and the other. It is also connected to the satellite town of Völklingen, where the old steel works were the first industrial monument to be declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 - the Völklinger Hütte.

Sister cities

External links

Cities in Germany | German state capitals | Towns in Saarland

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