Serene Saarland
They say Germany and France are very different places. What would happen if you combined them? You’d get Saarland – where the sausages are washed down with the finest wine, and where the cares of everyday life melt away in an area of meandering rivers, forested hills, and villages full of character.
Germany may be where many fairy tales come from, but it can be hard to get that feeling in some of the bustling city centres of Europe’s largest economy. But those city centres are not in Saarland, a quiet pocket where stories such as Goldilocks and the Three Bears suddenly seem entirely plausible, and where you could picture yourself wandering into the cottage where Snow White lived with the seven dwarfs.
The first thing to know about Saarland is that it’s special. A French protectorate following World War II, it once even fielded its own Olympic team. But it’s been part of Germany since the 1950s, and today is the smallest German region in both size and population. But don’t let its size fool you, because there’s so much to do here it can be overwhelming to decide where to begin.
The best place to start is the state capital, Saarbrücken. Combining the best of a big city with the cosiness of a village, it serves as the perfect place from which to explore the rest of Saarland. But before doing anything, make sure you sample some of the cakes the region is famous for. A good place is Café Schubert in the city centre; their petits fours (bitesized cakes with all manner of gooey frostings) are especially scrumptious. Listen in to what people are saying, too. This is a fantastic place to hear the unique ‘Saarländisch’ dialect, which sometimes sounds like German and French blended together into its own language (many people in Saarland are fluent in French as well as German).
Another thing to check out in Saarbrücken is its thriving arts scene. This is the region’s creative hub and it’s hard to go down a street without running into a variety of art galleries and performing arts venues. A mustvisit is the Alte Feuerwache. What’s unique is its location: it’s in an old fire station. Yet the garage, where enormous red fire engines once sat before heading out to save homes and lives, has great acoustics and plenty of space to sit comfortably while enjoying a symphony, ballet, play, opera, or something a bit more experimental.
You can spend ages in Saarbrücken, but don’t neglect a visit to the Saarländisches Staatstheater (state theatre), the Schloss Saarbrücken, or to taste the chewy schwenker, steak prepared on a grilling rack swung over a fire like a swing, as to do so would be to miss out on some of the magic of Saarland.
A bend in the river, the blue water framed by emerald green trees, with a shroud of clouds hanging above
like smoke after a fireworks display; such a stunning sight is standard at the aptly-named Saarschleife, which means ‘Bend in the Saar’. Not far from the postcard-perfect town of Mettlach (only about 50 km from Saarbrücken), a short walk through the trees leads to the jaw-dropping natural vistas of the river below, which could very well be the most unspoilt in all of Germany. It’s worth a trip out here for the view alone, and in the winter it’s just as magical as the dark blue ribbon of water carves a path through clouds of fluffy white winter snow. But whatever the weather, be sure to bring a jacket or sweater as it will be cold and windy.
That’s northwest of Saarbrücken. To the east is a whole host of pretty towns and villages worth getting lost in. Their bright facades and winding cobblestone streets seem as dreamlike now as they must have centuries ago. Fortunately, if you really do get lost, the friendly (and very multilingual) locals are more than happy to help visitors find their way again.
One town that you really must check out, though, is Blieskastel. It’s about 20 km from Saarbrücken, and its town centre, with fountains and churches that are hundreds of years old, is like a living museum.
On the subject of living museums, there is one place that stands out above perhaps all others: Trier. And for good reason – it’s thought to be Germany’s oldest city, with a recorded history going back more than 2,000 years.
There’s easily observable proof of this: the imposing Porta Nigra (Black Gate) is the best-preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps. The cavernous Constantine Basilica and the ruins of the Imperial Baths date back to the days of Constantine, and the 1,900-year-old Römerbrücke is the oldest bridge in Northern Europe still regularly used by traffic. St Matthias’ Abbey is said to contain the tomb of the Apostle Matthias (who according to the Bible replaced Judas after the latter betrayed Jesus), and the grandiose Trier Cathedral is purported to be Germany’s oldest church. It supposedly contains the robe Jesus wore during the crucifixion, and the skull of St Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine. The list goes on. Make sure when visiting that your phone and camera batteries are fully charged, you’ll need them.
A bit more modern (at least by Trier’s standards) is the Electoral Palace. Its builders must have been able to see the future: the shockingly bright pink south facade, calling to mind icing on a cake, is seemingly made for Instagram and social media. Have a wander through the lush green gardens around the tranquil pond, where the statues depict a host of interesting mythological creatures and beings.
Another more modern site is the birthplace of Karl Marx. The modest home where he was born, just a few hundred metres from the Electoral Palace on Brückenstrasse, has been turned into a museum about his life and ideology. Today it’s especially popular among visitors from China.
Going round the sights in Trier will very quickly work up an appetite. Even if you’re not hungry, pop into Café Zeitsprung. Open every day except Monday from 09:00 to 18:00, they do exceptionally tasty (and enormous) brunches. The view is a lot to take in, too, as it’s tucked away among the Electoral Palace’s gardens, and if you go when there’s snow on the ground you’ll feel as though you’re inside a snow globe. ‘Cosy’ is a good word to describe it.
On the subject of snow, winter in Germany means one thing: the country’s famous Christmas markets, or Weihnachtsmarkten. While every town and village will have at least one (and larger towns more than that), which will be open every day for several weeks before Christmas, one of the best just happens to be in Trier’s historic city centre. Be sure to try sausages slathered in ketchup and mustard, washed down with warm Glühwein (mulled wine), or the traditional, aromatic German gingerbread. This is, of course, the perfect place to buy handicrafts such as locally-made Christmas decorations, and if you can visit the market in the evening you will find few sights that are more romantic.
Go west from Trier and you’ll find yourself in the nation of Luxembourg. Due south, and you’ll soon reach France. Travel a bit northwest, and you’re in Belgium. But take this writer’s advice: even though so many other countries are close by, your motivation to leave Saarland will be low. You’ll want to stay, rather like Hansel and Gretel and the gingerbread house in the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale, though fortunately, in this case, no one will try and eat you if you decide to stay.
That includes the pigeons who seem to almost always outnumber the tourists.