Saarland

I

Introduction

Saarland, state in southwestern Germany, bounded on the north and east by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the south by France, and on the west by France and Luxembourg. The capital and largest city is Saarbrücken. Other major cities are Neunkirchen, Völklingen, Sulzbach, and Dudweiler. Saarland is made up of rolling hills, cut in a southeastern to northwestern direction by the Saar River. The area is 2,570 sq km (992 sq mi); population 1,061,000 (2004 estimate).

II

Economy

The Saar Valley, which contains enormous coal deposits, is the heart of the state's economy. The main economic activities are coal mining and steel processing. Other important industries are the production of chemicals, machinery, glass, and ceramics. Agriculture is of minor importance; the chief crops are cereals and potatoes. Approximately one-third of the state is covered with forests, and lumbering is important.

III

Government

The state is governed by a cabinet, headed by a minister-president. The cabinet is responsible to a popularly elected unicameral diet (legislature).

IV

History

The Saar area was incorporated into the Roman Empire in the 1st century bc, and later came under control of the Franks. In 925 it became part of the Holy Roman Empire, but a strong French influence continued. From 1381 to 1793 the counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken were the main local rulers. Often a prize contended for by its stronger neighbors, the area came under French domination in the 16th century and was incorporated by France in the 1680s. France was forced to relinquish the Saar in 1697, but from 1793 to 1815 regained control of the region. After 1815 much of the area was part of the Prussian Rhineland Province. During the 19th century the coal and iron resources of the region were developed.

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Under the Treaty of Versailles (1919) the Saar coal mines were made the exclusive property of France for a period of 15 years as compensation for the destruction of French mines during the war. The treaty also provided for a plebiscite, at the end of the 15-year period, to determine the territory's future status, and in 1935 more than 90 percent of the electorate voted for reunification with Germany. The Saar subsequently rejoined Germany.

Heavily bombed in World War II (1939-1945) and made part of the French Zone of Occupation in 1945, the area was made a separate zone in 1946. Throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s, the French tried to make the Saar a separate state. In 1956 the area requested early incorporation into Germany, and on January 1, 1957, the Saar, under the name Saarland, became a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.