In the last 200 years the Saarland has switched nationality between Germany and France eight times, turning the region into a cultural melting pot. In the border city of Saarbrücken, the way this unstable history has developed is reflected in many of its historic buildings.

From here you may like to take an excursion to the UNESCO World Heritage site the Völklingen Ironworks, a huge disused steelworks which has been transformed into a "European Centre for Art and Industrial Culture". An overview of the production and the refining of the "white gold", porcelain, is given in an interesting exhibition staged by the long-established company Villeroy & Boch. Apart from this a former pavilion from the World Exposition EXPO 2000 (see picture) is to be found in Saarbrücken.

Along the Saar the cultivation of wine was joined by the French cuisine. Saarlouis, built as a French border fortification by the Sun King Louis XIV, is a gastronomic stronghold nowadays. Old military facilities such as the casemates are not only interesting sights but also accommodate cosy restaurants, which serve an extremely palatable combination of French and German cuisine. In the beautiful area around Merzig wide-open meadows with fruit trees catch the eye.

A little further on the Saar provides an attraction of its own: the Saar Bow (see picture). Saarburg, the capital of the Saar wines, is heralded from afar by the remains of a castle high above the town, the Saarburg. The old town, which is under a preservation order, has a medieval character with colourful fishermen's and sailors´ houses. And at the point where the Saar finally flows into the Moselle, a magnificent holiday region awaits you. Its focal point is the wine town of Konz in the highly regarded wine-growing area of Moselle-Saar-Ruwer.