The city of Saarbrücken takes on a touch of Hollywood thanks to the Max Ophüls Prize. Every year in January it hosts a film festival for up-and-coming German film directors and actors. Tom Tykwer, Franka Potente and Til Schweiger, big names today in the German cinema, first drew attention to themselves here over the past 25 years.

Big stars from the film industry, like Volker Schlöndorff, Michael Ballhaus and Senta Berger, have also made the journey to the river Saar. In May, Saarbrücken is the stage for “Perspectives”, a festival for young theatre from Germany and France. Then the squares and streets host clowns, artistes and jugglers from the street theatres.

Saarland stands for lifestyle, “Saarvoir vivre”. But what about the economy of this state, which for decades was so influenced by coal and steel? It is in astoundingly good shape. The process of structural change is progressing. Innovation is being given top priority. New industries, technologies and services have replaced the coal and steel industry as the most important economic factor. And growth rates are above average. It would seem as if Saarland is really a state on the way up. The University of Saarland has made an essential contribution to this development.