Saarland

—Saarlander, n.

/zahr"land', sahr"-/; Ger. /zahr"lahnt'/, n.

a state in W Germany, in the Saar River valley. 1,054,142; 991 sq. mi. (2569 sq. km). Cap.: Saarbrücken.

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or Saargebiet

State (pop., 2002 est.: 1,066,470), southwestern Germany.

It has an area of 992 sq mi (2,569 sq km). The capital, Saarbrücken, lies along the Saar River. The region was contested by France and Germany from the 17th century until 1815, when France ceded most of it to Prussia by the Treaty of Paris. When Alsace-Lorraine was added to the German Empire in 1871, the Saar ceased to be a boundary state and developed rapidly as a coal-mining and industrial area, producing iron and steel. French military forces occupied it after World War II, but it was restored to West Germany and became a state in 1957.

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▪ state, Germany

Introduction

also called  Saar 

  Land (state) in the southwestern portion of Germany. It is bounded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to the north and east and by the countries of France to the south and southwest and Luxembourg to the northwest. The capital is Saarbrücken. Area 992 square miles (2,569 square km). Pop. (2006 est.) 1,043,167.

Geography

      The heart of Saarland is an area of thickly forested hills that is crossed from southeast to northwest by the valley of the Saar River. This lowland is framed to the north by the edge of the Hunsrück highland and to the south by the scarps of the French région of Lorraine. The small Blies and Prims rivers flow into the Saar River. The state's highest point is in the Weiskircher Heights (2,280 feet [695 metres]). The climate is largely continental in character, but a maritime influence is quite evident in Saarland's moderately warm summers and mild winters. The annual precipitation is about 31 inches (800 mm).

      The majority of Saarland residents are Roman Catholic; the bulk of the remainder belong to the Evangelical and other Protestant churches. Most of the state's settlements are small agricultural or mining towns. The only area with a pronounced industrial character is a 9-mile- (14-km-) long strip along the Saar River valley between Brebach, a suburb of Saarbrücken, and Völklingen, where several of the state's large smelting works and steel mills are located. The growth of the mining and iron-producing industries that started during the 19th century attracted workers from all over Germany, greatly increasing the region's population. The area immediately north of the Saar River valley, in a triangle linking Saarbrücken, Dillingen, and Neunkirchen, is the most densely populated. Saarbrücken is the largest city; other urban areas include Homburg, Völklingen, Saarlouis, and St. Ingbert.

      Saarland is dominated by its highly developed industrial activities. Industry and mining contribute most of the gross domestic product, followed closely by services and by trade, transportation, and agriculture.

 The Saar River valley is in parts underlain by extensive coal deposits, which stretch for a distance of about 20 miles (32 km) from Saarlouis and Völklingen in the west to Neunkirchen in the east. The reserves of coal are located at depths of up to 4,000 feet (1,200 metres). The extraction of coke from bituminous coal and the smelting of iron ore rich in phosphorous have been the bases assisting the growth of the iron industry since the 19th century. The iron- and metal-processing industries include the production of steel and the construction of machinery, autos, and auto components. Other important industries include food processing and the manufacture of textiles. As in other metal-processing and coal-mining regions of Germany, Saarland (notably Völklingen, once dominated by its major ironworks) has been making efforts to diversify its economic base.

      Agriculture is relatively insignificant. The major products are grains, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, and livestock. Production is oriented toward the needs of Saarland's urban population, but small quantities of dairy produce are exported to the other states, and meat, cattle, and bread are sold abroad.

      France is Saarland's most important trading partner. Primary exports to France include bar and cast iron, sheet metal, tools, wire, coal, and coke. Among the imports from France are meat and meat products, motor vehicles, sheet metal, and iron ore.

      Saarland has a well-developed road network. An autobahn connects the region with the Rhine-Main area, and other roads link the state with Paris, Luxembourg, and Karlsruhe and Cologne, Ger. The railway system is equally extensive. Water transport, such as that along the canalized portion of the Saar River, is important. An airport at Saarbrücken-Ensheim handles both domestic and international traffic.

      Saarland is governed by a state parliament, whose members are elected every four years. The parliament elects a minister-president, usually the leader of the parliament's strongest party.

      The well-developed educational system includes the University of Saarland at Saarbrücken. Cultural institutions—including the Saarland State Theatre in Saarbrucken, Radio Saarland, and the Saarland Museum—draw support from both Germany and France. There are many museums and galleries and a large number of singing, musical, and theatrical groups. The Völklingen Ironworks, which ceased production in 1986, were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.

History

      The Celts and Germanic Franks were the earliest known inhabitants of the area, which subsequently became part of the Carolingian empire and the eastern Frankish empire. By the Middle Ages, Saar consisted of several small territories, the largest of which was centred on the city of Saarbrücken. From 1381 to 1793 Saarbrücken was ruled by the counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken. The territory around Saarbrücken, though inhabited by German-speaking people, was much influenced by France in the 150 years following the Peace of Westphalia (Westphalia, Peace of) (1648). Saar became a French province in 1684 under the Truce of Regensburg, but in 1697 France was forced to surrender all of Saar except the town of Saarlouis under the Treaty of Rijswijk. From 1792 to 1815 France again occupied Saar, together with the entire west bank of the Rhine. With the final defeat of Napoleon I in 1815, France was forced to cede most of Saar to Prussia, which made the area part of its Prussian Rhine province. When Alsace-Lorraine was added to the German Empire in 1871, Saar ceased to be a boundary state and experienced rapid industrial development based on its own coal deposits and the iron-ore deposits of Lorraine.

      After World War I, Saar's coal mines were awarded to France, and Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations (Nations, League of) for 15 years, at the end of which time a plebiscite permitted the inhabitants to choose between being part of France or Germany. In the plebiscite, held on Jan. 13, 1935, more than 90 percent of the inhabitants of Saar voted for its return to Germany.

      In 1945, following World War II, French military forces occupied Saarland, and two years later the first Saar state parliament adopted a constitution that called for an autonomous Saar in an economic union with France. By 1954, however, West Germany's renewed prosperity was attracting the sympathies of most Saarlanders, and in that year France and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to a statute that provided for Saar's autonomy under a European commissioner. The new status was to be approved by a referendum; however, 68 percent of Saar's voters rejected the statute and, by implication, the separation of Saar from Germany. The French subsequently agreed (l956) to the return of Saar to West Germany, and on Jan. 1, 1957, Saarland finally achieved its present status as a federal state of Germany.

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