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| | Rhineland | |||
| Southwest: Moselle - Saarland | |||
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The Saarland is defined by the river Saar, along which you'll find the presence of Celtic, Gallic, and Roman settlers. One of Charlemagne's grandsons ruled the Middle Kingdom, defined as the Saarland, Luxembourg and Alsace-Lorraine. After WWI, the French ruled here until 1935; after WWII it was again French for 10 years. As you might expect, the food here is a wonderful mixture of French and German flavors and styles. |
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Trier | ||
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Saarlouis – Saarlouis is fairly new as 'German' towns go, founded in 1680 by the French Sun King, Louis XIV as a fortress. A port on the Saar River, 40,000 people big, Saarlouis is the center of the Saarland, where they make everything from cars to crystals to sausage to chocolates. | ||
 Stop
in at the Rathaus (City Hall) and walk down the Hall of Tapestries
given to the city by King Louis XIV – then ask for a town map
and list of historical sites to tour. |
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| Tour
the Old Town part of Saarlouis, which has a pedestrians only section – a great place to stop for a snack or light meal in an outdoor
cafe. |
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| Visit
the birth place of Marschell Ney (aka Michel Ney) a General in Napoleon's
army – supposedly the last "Frenchman" to leave Russian
soil and second in command to Napoleon at Waterloo: a reminder that Saarlouis
is a border town with a cloudy national line. |
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Mettlach – You'll find the town of Mettlach by following the Saar north to Grosse Saarschleife, one of Germany's most photogenic river views. | ||
| Tour
the headquarters of the famous porcelain and crystal company, Villeroy
& Boch, located in an 8th-century abbey. |
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| The Ziegelberg Castle nearby has a ceramics museum with a wonderful
collection of historical dishes. |
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Wallerfangen – | ||
| Tour
the Roman copper mines Emilianus in St. Barbara and the Spring
sanctuary (Sudelfels), a Roman cult site near by the Ihn pond. |
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| Haus
Saargau built in 1735 is a rural museum with furniture from
the early 1800s. The exhibition also includes a stable and a collection
of iron oven plates. You'll find the Nature Park Saar-Hunsrück's tourist
center located in the Haus Saargau, with an interactive panorama map of the region. |
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| Bauerngarten
(garden of a farmhouse), laid out behind the house in a geometrical
pattern typical to this area, with box trees and limestone borders. Behind
the garden are fruit orchards. |
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Rehlingen-Siersburg, the area north of Saarlouis is the place to explore the Hemmersdorf, Itzbach and Rehlingen castles and the ruins of Siersburg. But it's nature that stands out here: | ||
| Go
underground at the stalactite caverns of Niedaltdorf. The main
rock formations that have taken an estimated 12,000 years to be created. |
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| Go
swimming in the River Nied where you'll find the huge mill "Wackenmühle. |
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Schwalbach – Schwalbach, only a few minutes south of Saarlouis, has a few interesting spots to explore if you're passing through: | ||
| Kids
will like all the machinery and intricate pieces they'll find in the Forge
and Locksmith Museum (Schmiede-und Schlossermuseum). |
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| Freilichtbühne
Hülzweiler is the local recreational area, where you can follow paths
marked with (German language) signs that teach you about the woods, a lake
where you can rent boats, and an open air stage for summer performances. |
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Wadgassen – Wadgassen, a little farther south from Saarlouis on the road to Saarbrucken, is a small town, but if someone in your family loves motorcycles, then you'll want to tour the historic bike museum where you'll see a collection of motorcycles from throughout the 20th century. | ||
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Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park – The Saar-Hunsrück Nature
Park reaches from Luxembourg to France to Germany, covering almost 2,000
square kilometers. Throughout this enormous park you can find hiking
and biking trails, places for cross-country skiing, horseback
riding, and boating. Since the park is so huge, the best thing
is to find the local park office and then decide where to go. |
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Schmelz – Schmelz is a small town in the on the road between Saarlouis and Trier. Stop off to visit the town's "Bettinger Mühle," a center where you can see an historical preservation of typical regional mill, miller's house, workshop, bakery and barn. They make crystal here, and if you really want to stretch your legs, explore the ruins of Celtic ramparts or climb to the bell tower in the 12th century church. |
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Fun food – |
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Ludwig Chocolates made here in the Saarland are wonderfully rich and more "chocolaty" than the usual American chocolate bar. Stock up on local products such as Ludwig chocolate (Ludwig Schokolade) or Schröder's sausage (Schröder Fleischwaren) a tradition here for 130 years. |
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