8 questions · Geography
Saarland is Germany's smallest state by area (city-states aside) and lies in the south-west, right on the border with France and Luxembourg. Around one million people live here; the capital is Saarbrücken. It takes its name from the river Saar, which winds through the land in wide curves. At one of these bends lies the landmark: the Saar Loop near Mettlach, where the river makes an almost complete about-turn. From the Cloef viewpoint you look down on a wooded spit of land that seems to float like an island: the most photographed sight in Saarland. The region's history is eventful: after both world wars it was separated from Germany, returning as a state of its own only in 1957: which is why 1 January is still marked here as the “day of reintegration”. The closeness to France still shapes language, cuisine and everyday life. Did you know that Saarland pursues an official France strategy? The long-term goal is for everyone growing up here to speak both German and French fluently, making the little state a bilingual bridge into western Europe.
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Saarland
Saarland is Germany's smallest state by area apart from the city-states, on the border with France and Luxembourg; the river Saar makes a famous loop at Mettlach.
💡 Did you know? After the Second World War Saarland was for a time not part of West Germany: it only joined in 1957, after voters rejected a European statute in 1955.
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken lies on the river Saar right on the French border: France's proximity shapes the Saarland's food, culture and everyday life.
💡 Did you know? The baroque Ludwigskirche is the city's landmark and one of Germany's most important Protestant baroque churches.
about 1.0 million
the south-west
Foto: Akveniam · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
the Saar Loop
Saar
being the smallest state by area (excluding city-states)
Saarland is the smallest state by area and was long shaped by coal and steel.
💡 Did you know? The Saarland only joined West Germany in 1957, after a referendum.
France and Luxembourg
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