Saarlouis: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 55 - 88 Hotel Ratskeller
 The traditional Hotel Ratskeller is situated in the heart of Saarlouis, close to the pedestrian zone and the historical centre. It offers easy access … MoreEUR 70 - 189 Victor´s Residenz-Hotel Saarlouis
 This family-friendly hotel offers free Wi-Fi and a French restaurant. It is a 2-minute walk from Saarlouis Train Station and a 4-minute drive from the… MoreEUR 75 - 78 Bahnhof-Hotel Saarlouis
 Our Hotel is situated directly acroos from the main station of Saarlouis. Due to the friendly atmosphere of our family managed hotel you will feel lik… MoreEUR 75 - 100 Altes Pfarrhaus Beaumarais
 The historic Hotel Altes Pfarrhaus (old vicarage) Beaumarais in Saarlouis was originally built in 1762 as a summer residence of the baroness von Salis… MoreEUR 70 - 90 Akzent Park-Hotel Saarlouis
 The Park Hotel has been under our operation since 1990, completely refurbished and modernized according to 3-star standards. It is located in a centra… MoreEUR 83 - 98 Akzent Hotel Posthof
 Situated on the pedestrian zone in the heart of Saarlouis, the Akzent Hotel Posthof offers cosy rooms including an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. A… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saarlouis: Guide
Saarlouis is a city in the Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis (district)|Saarlouis. In 2005 the town had a population of 38,372. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located at the river Saar River|Saar. It was famous for its nearby steel and iron ore production and its nearby mining facilities. Today, the Ford Motor Company is the city's largest employer, producing the Ford Focus and other models. The plant in the Roederberg suburb is one of Ford's most efficient facilities world-wide. The city is located only 20 minutes' drive from France, and 45 minutes from Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.
History
With the 79, the Lorraine (province)|Lorraine fell to France. In 1680, Louis XIV of France gave order to build a fortification (to defend the new French Eastern frontier) on the banks of the river Saar which was called Sarre-Louis. France's famous military engineer, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, constructed the city, the plans were made by Thomas de Choisy, the city's first Gouvenour.
In 1683, Louis XIV visited the fortress and granted arms. The coat of arms shows the rising sun and three Fleur-de-lis. The heraldic motto is Dissipat Atque Fovet: She (the sun) dispels (the clouds) and heats (the earth).
In 1697, with the Treaty of Ryswick, most parts of Lorraine gained independence again, but Saarlouis and the surrounding areas remained a French exclave.
During the French Revolution, the town was renamed Saare-Libre, but this was cancelled again in 1810.
With the Treaty of Paris (1815)|Treaty of Paris in 1815, Saarlouis (and the whole region later known as The Saargebiet) gets prussian.
After the First World War, French troops occupied Saarlouis. The Saargebiet became a protectorate of the League of Nations for a period of 15 years.
In 1933, a considerable number of anti-Nazism|Nazi German People|Germans fled to the Saar, as it was the only part of Germany left outside the Third Reich's control. As a result, anti-Nazi groups campaigned heavily for the Saarland to remain under control of League of Nations as long as Adolf Hitler ruled Germany. However, long-held sentiments against France remained entrenched, with very few sympathizing openly with France. When the 15-year-term was over, a plebiscite was held in the territory on 13 January, 1935: 90.3% of those voting wished to join Nazi Germany.
From 1936-1945, Saarlouis was renamed as Saarlautern (-lautern being a common ending of town and village names in Germany) in an attempt by the Nazis to cleanse the German Language from foreign influences.
After World War II, the region (then called the Saarland), was occupied by the French.
In a plebiscite in 1955, most of the people in the Saarland decided for the reunification with the Federal Republic of Germany, and on January 1 1957, it became the 10th. Federal State of West Germany.
In 1980, Saarlouis celebrated its 300th anniversary.
Fortifications
Even today, the ancient fortification|fortress dominates the city's hexagonal floor plan. Beside the buildings made by Vauban, there are also some constructions left from the 19th century when the Prussians got control over the town.
After 1887, some parts of the fortress were slighting|slighted, but many buildings and places, e.g. the casemates, some barracks and the Great Market with the Commander's Office and the Vauban island,a former ravelin with a memorial for Michel Ney can still be seen today.
Image:Saarlouis01.jpg|The Deutsches Tor (German Gate)
Image:Saarlouis02.jpg|The Kasematten (The Casemates)
Image:Saarlouis03.jpg|The Commander's Office and the Großer Markt (Great Market)
Image:Saarlouis05.jpg|The Vauban island and the memorial of Michel Ney
Town twinning
St-Nazaire, France, since 1969
Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany, since 1986 (the first West and East German town twinning)
Matiguás, Nicaragua, since 1986
Bochnia, since 2001
Famous people
Michel Ney (10 January 1769 - 7 December 1815), Marshal of France
Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck (20 March 1870 - 9 March 1964), general and politician
Esther Béjarano (15 December 1924), survivor of the Girl orchestra of Auschwitz
Oskar Lafontaine (16 September 1943), German politician
Rainer Rupp (1945), spy (Topas)
See also
List of places named after people
External links
(Saarlouis has one of the oldest Volunteer fire departments of Germany)
This article is based on the entry in the German Wikipedia.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Saarlouis". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.