SAARLOUIS

'Saarlouis' (pronounced in German; French: ''Sarrelouis'') is a city in the Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2006 the town had a population of 38,327. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located at the river Saar.
It was built as a fortress in 1680 and named after Louis XIV of France.

Contents

History

Fortifications

Economics and Infrastructure

Town twinning

Famous people

Gallery

See also

External links

References

History

With the Treaties of Peace of Nijmegen in 1678/79, the 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 in 1815, Saarlouis (and the whole region later known as ''The Saargebiet'') became 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-Nazi 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 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 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.

Economics and Infrastructure

Saarlouis 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 the Ford C-MAX. The plant in the Roederberg suburb is one of Ford's most efficient facilities world-wide.

The industrial port in Saarlouis-Roden is Germany's 8th largest inland port.
The city is located only 20 minutes' drive from France, and 45 minutes from Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.
It is connected with Saarbrücken by the A 620 and with Luxembourg by the A 8.

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'')

Gallery

See also

★ List of places named after people

External links

★ City of Saarlouis

★ Fire Brigade of Saarlouis (Saarlouis has one of the oldest Volunteer fire departments of Germany)

References