The Saarschleife, also known as the Great Bend in the Saar at Mettlach , is a water gap carved by the Saar River through a quartzite layer and today one of the most well-known tourist attractions of the Saarland.
The Saarschleife, also known as the Great Bend in the Saar at Mettlach , is a water gap carved by the Saar River through a quartzite layer and today one of the most well-known tourist attractions of the Saarland.
The Saarschleife begins near the Besseringen section of the town of Merzig and ends in Mettlach. Although Besseringen and Mettlach are only separated by approximately two kilometers, the Saar follows a winding course of nearly ten kilometers.
On the forested mountains within the Saarschleife, there are the historical sites of the former cloister church of St. Gangolf in addition to remnants of the former cloister complex as well as the ruins of Montclair fortress. The only locale located immediately on the Saarschleife is the village of Dreisbach, which can be reached by ferry.
On both the inner and outer riverbends run hiking and biking paths. An area west of the Saarschleife known as the "Steinbachtal" of approximately 100 hectares has been designated as a protected area.
The narrowing of the Saarschleife between Besseringen and Dreisbach stems from the fact that the Saar, coming from the colored sandstone of the Merzig Basin, enters a section of hard quartzite rock. It is not exactly clear why the Saar failed to follow the more direct route between Besseringen and Mettlach. One possible explanation is that the Saar followed fractures of the Devonian quartzite, a weak zone, although a river tracking a rock weakness longer than two kilometers would be unusual. Investigations showed that the colored sandstone of the Saarschleife and its surroundings is only unevenly deposited on the underlying quartzite. When it was formed, the colored sandstone did not cover a previous layer level, but rather built upon an already existing relief. The quartzite divide most likely predated the colored sandstone layer that had gathered atop it, which was then later cleared away by the waters of the Saar. Together with the river's large meandering, the Saarschleife gradually deepened at a later mountain uplift. This step-by-step incision of the Saar is clearly visible to observers at the Cloef observation point when viewing the terraced sliding slope across the river.
This mountain spur around which the Saar flows has a length of 4 km and reaches its highest point at 318 m above sea level, while the surface of the Saar is around 166 m above sea level. The entire area around the Saarschleife is largely covered by a forest that is largely untouched. A beech forest grows on the remnants of the colored sandstone while hornbeam and oaks predominate on quartzite. On the steep slopes, the forests transition into a bush forest of hornbeam and oak. Due to the favorable climate, the evergreen sub-Mediterranean Atlantic holly grows here. Only lichens and mosses settle on the so-called "Rosseln" the scree heaps created by weathering.
The advantage offered by a spur surrounded by a river attracted the original Celtic inhabitants of the area to erect a protective wall that lies two kilometers to the east of the ruins of Castle Montclair that dates from the Middle Ages. It is likely that the spur of the Saarschleife was used by these Celts as a refuge castle. On the escarpment, traces of a Roman presence have also been found. During a period of great migration following the fall of the Roman Empire and the establishment of Francia, a noble family from Ardennes erected Skiva Castle (also recorded as "Skipha" or "Sissiva") on the spur around 1000 AD. The inhabitants of the castle were in constant conflict with their feudal lords, the archbishops of Trier. In 1016, Poppo von Babenberg, the Archbishop of Trier, succeeded in taking and destroying the castle. [1]
Nearly two centuries later in 1180, Arnold I., another Archbishop of Trier, authorized the construction of a new castle on the grounds. Given the name Montclair (Latin "mons clarus" or "bright mountain"), the castle's construction was completed in 1190. Over the course of time, the castle fell into the hands of the Duchy of Lorraine and was subsequently destroyed during a conflict in 1351 with the Erzstift of Trier. Some 75 years later, the von Sierck family obtained the right to build a much smaller castle on the site. This second Castle Montclair was left to ruin in 1620. In 1661, King Louis XIV of France reached an agreement with the Archbishop of Trier Karl Kaspar von der Leyen to leave the castle ruined since it would be useful in case of a war with France. As a result, the castle's remains would only be stabilized two centuries later when Frederick William IV of Prussia initiated preservation efforts upon his first stay in Mettlach in 1835. [2]
During the Third Reich, plans were drawn up to turn the area near Castle Montclair into an Ordensburg that would have encompassed 170 hectares. The proposed facility would have included a Thingstätte to hold 4000, a tower, a "Hall of Honor for the Victims on the Saar" as well as a school building for 600 students stretching out over 800 meters. The plans for the massive complex were drawn up by Clemens Klotz, the Cologne-based architect who built the Kraft durch Freude facilities of Prora on the island of Rügen as well as the Vogelsang Ordensburg in the Eifel region, and the responsibility for the project's planning fell to Robert Ley, the NSDAP Reichsleiter, and the German Labor Front. The planned complex was announced as a gift of gratitude to the inhabitants of the Saarland following the results of the 1935 Saar status referendum. However, because of military activities involved in fortifying Germany's western border (the Westwall), construction of the Ordensburg was indefinitely delayed, and the Saarland ultimately received instead the "Gautheater Saarbrücken" known today as the Saarländische Staatstheater in Saarbrücken. [3] [4]
On 23 July 2016 the Treetop Walk Saarschleife opened to the public with an observation tower soaring above the historically popular vantage point known as "the Cloef." [5] From the observation tower, visitors can see much further than from the Cloef including the Mettlach parish church as well as the power plant at Ensdorf.
The Saarschleife is considered the symbol of the Saarland and is frequently the site of visits by heads-of-state, politicians, and celebrities. King Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia visited the observation point at Cloef on 29 September 1856. On 16 May 1939 Adolf Hitler also visited the Bend in the Saar and a commemorative plaque of the visit was later removed. Oskar Lafontaine and Gerhard Schröder were photographed together during a visit on 4 August 1997. Nearly a decade later, the former presidents of France and Poland Jacques Chirac and Lech Kaczyński met for a three-party summit with Angela Merkel on 5 December 2006.
Saarland is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of 2,570 km2 (990 sq mi) and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in population apart from Bremen. Saarbrücken is the state capital and largest city; other cities include Neunkirchen and Saarlouis. Saarland is mainly surrounded by the department of Moselle in France to the west and south and the neighboring state of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany to the north and east; it also shares a small border about 8 kilometres long with the canton of Remich in Luxembourg to the northwest.
Saarbrücken is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken has 181,959 inhabitants and is Saarland's administrative, commercial and cultural centre. It is located on the Saar River, directly borders the French department of Moselle, and is Germany's second-westernmost state capital after Düsseldorf.
Merzig-Wadern is a Kreis (district) in the northwest of the Saarland, Germany. Neighboring districts are Trier-Saarburg, Sankt Wendel, Saarlouis, the French département Moselle, and Luxembourg.
Sankt Wendel is a town in northeastern Saarland. It is situated on the river Blies 36 km northeast of Saarbrücken, the capital of Saarland, and is named after Saint Wendelin of Trier. According to a survey by the German Association for Housing, Town Planning and Land Use Regulation, St. Wendel is known to be one of the wealthiest regions in Germany, behind Starnberg in Bavaria.
Wadern is a municipality in the federal state Saarland, which is situated in the southwest of Germany. It is part of the district Merzig-Wadern. Wadern consists of 13 urban districts with approximately 16.000 inhabitants. With 143 inhabitants per km2 it is sparsely populated, but, with an area of 111 km2, Wadern is the third largest municipality in Saarland after Saarbrücken and St. Wendel. The town is divided into 14 urban districts and altogether 24 villages belong to the commune. The town is part of the Moselle Franconian language area.
Dillingen is a town in the district of Saarlouis, in Saarland. It has about 20,000 inhabitants and is divided into the three districts Dillingen-city center, Pachten and Diefflen. The city is located on the edge of the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park at the mouth of the Prims in the Saar and is located about 10 km from the French border. Dillingen is located about 60 km from Luxembourg City and Trier, 50 km from Metz and 30 km from Saarbrücken and is directly adjacent to the urban area of Saarlouis. In terms of population, it is the second largest municipality in the district of Saarlouis. The Dillinger Hütte steelworks is located here.
Merzig is a town in Saarland, Germany. It is the capital of the district Merzig-Wadern, with about 30,000 inhabitants in 17 municipalities on 108 km². It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 35 km south of Trier, and 35 km northwest of Saarbrücken.
Mettlach is a municipality in the district Merzig-Wadern, in Saarland, Germany, situated on the river Saar, approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of Merzig, and 30 km (19 mi) south of Trier. The headquarters of Villeroy & Boch are in Mettlach. Also, the Mettlach tiles are named after the municipality.
Blieskastel is a city in the Saarpfalz (Saar-Palatinate) district, in Saarland, Germany which is divided into villages. It is situated on the river Blies, approximately 10 kilometres southwest of Homburg (Saar), 8 km (5 mi) west of Zweibrücken, and 20 km (12 mi) east of Saarbrücken.
Namborn is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately 7 km north of Sankt Wendel, and 25 km southwest of Idar-Oberstein. It is approximately 40 km northeast of Saarbrücken on highway B 41 and the Nahe Valley Railway line. The distance to the Bostalsee is about 10 km, and to the county seat St. Wendel about 7 km.
Nohfelden is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Sankt Wendel, and 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Idar-Oberstein. It was formed during administrative reform in January 1974 from the merger of 13 previously independent municipalities.
Saint Leudwinus, Count of Treves founded an abbey in Mettlach. He was Archbishop of Treves and Laon. As patron saint of the Mettlach parish, his relics are carried through the town by procession at the annual Pentecost celebration. His feast day is September 23. He was the son of Saint Warinus, the paternal grandson of Saint Sigrada, and nephew of Saint Leodegarius.
The Saarbrücken–Trier railway, known in German as the Saarstrecke in the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland. It connects Saarbrücken and Trier. It was opened in 1858 and 1860 and is one of the oldest railways in Germany.
Arnold I of Vaucourt, was the Archbishop of Trier from 1169 to 1183. He took a pro-Imperial position in the Investiture Controversy of the twelfth century. As archbishop, Arnold was accounted a capable ruler, by turns thrifty and generous, with a genuine concern for his church and his domain.
The ruins of Ramstein Castle stand on a 182-metre-high, Bunter sandstone rock on the edge of the Meulenwald forest in the lower, steep-sided Kyll valley near Kordel in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It stands 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Trier and the same east of Luxembourg.
Diefflen is a district of Dillingen/Saar in the district of Saarlouis (Saarland) and has about 4700 inhabitants. It is located on the lower Prims, a tributary of the Saar. Since its foundation in the High Middle Ages Diefflen was historically linked to the villages of the former "Hochgericht Nalbacher Tal". This association was broken when Diefflen was incorporated into the city of Dillingen/Saar in 1969.
Contiomagus was a Gallo-Roman vicus in the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. The location today is the site of the district of Pachten in the municipality of Dillingen, Saarland.
Schwarzenholz is the second largest district of the municipality of Saarwellingen in Saarland, Germany.
The Treetop Walk Saarschleife is a 1,250 meter long canopy walkway in the Orscholz area of Mettlach, Germany. Built atop a rocky vantage point known as the "Cloef", it offers visitors views of the Saarschleife. The major Saarland tourist attraction is operated by "Erlebnis Akademie AG."
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