SAARBRÜCKEN tourist attractions

Saarbrücken is an industrial city on the border between Germany and France. It is also an important cultural center of the region with many museums and the Old Town partly rebuilt after the destruction of World War II.

The history of Saarbrücken is turbulent, full of wars and armed conflicts. Since its foundation at the end of the 10th century, the city and its surroundings have been the area of German-French rivalry. These frictions intensified particularly in the 19th century, when the city began to grow into an important industrial and mining center with hard coal mines. After World War I it was under the control of the League of Nations, and during World War II it was destroyed by Allied air raids aimed at local factories.

The reconstruction of the old part of Saarbrücken lasted for over half a century. Part of the historic buildings were restored, including the Renaissance castle church, the late baroque Ludwig's church, the 18th century palace standing in the basement of the medieval castle or the market square with the baroque fountain.

The city's assets are its museums. The most important of them is the Saar Historical Museum, of which reconstructed medieval and Renaissance castle cellars are part. There is also an exhibition presenting the history of the Saar Basin in the nineteenth century and until its incorporation into Germany in 1957. At the Museum of Prehistory and Early History you can see exhibitions about the earliest history of the city and the surrounding area, while the Saarland Museum, the Modern Gallery presents a collection of paintings from Of the 19th century to modern times.