With an area of approx. 2,600 square kilometres, Saarland is the smallest German federal state. It lies in south-western Germany and borders on France, Luxembourg and the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. One million people live on the river Saar, and of them almost 200,000 live in the state capital of Saarbrücken. Since 1999 the state has been governed by the CDU, with Peter Müller as minister president.
www.saarland.de
Throughout its history, Saarland has often changed nationalities – eight times in the past 200 years alone. After the First World War, the “Saar territory” was separated from the German Reich by the Treaty of Versailles and placed under League of Nations administration. In 1935 it returned to the German Reich following a plebiscite. After the Second World War, France enforced an autonomy regulation and an economic union. After a referendum in 1957 it was reintegrated into the Federal Republic of Germany.
Historically, the Saarland has been highly dependent on coal and steel, and Saarstahl AG in Völklingen still plays an important role today. Meanwhile, however, most industrial jobs are provided by the automobile industry – by Ford in Saarlouis and components suppliers. The porcelain manufacturer Villeroy & Boch is known far beyond the borders of Saarland. Information technology and biotechnology are also becoming increasingly important.
www.gwsaar.com
Saarland offers a wide range of study choices for 20,000 students at the University of the Saarland in Saarbrücken and Homburg/Saar, four universities of applied sciences and an academy of fine art and of drama and music. The Franco-German University is also at home in Saarbrücken. The Max Planck Institute for Computer Science, the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence and the Institute for New Materials (below) have gained an international reputation.
One of the world’s most impressive industrial monuments, the Völklinger Hütte, is in Saarland. In 1994, UNESCO declared the steel works part of the World Cultural Heritage. Today, above all the 6,000-square-metre blowing engine room is the venue for important exhibitions. Events of supraregional importance include the Max Ophüls Film Festival in Saarbrücken and Perspectives, the Franco-German theatre festival (below).
