Saarbrücken Celebrates German Unity Day
On Oct. 3, Germany celebrated the Day of German Unification for the 19th time. On this day, Germany commemorated the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
The city of Saarbrucken, the capital of the Federal State of Saarland, hosted the main festivities of this holiday for the second time after 1993.
The festivities began with a mass for invited guests at the "Ludwigskirche." The main event, however, was a huge citizens' festival, which was celebrated from Oct. 2 to Oct. 3 in the inner city of Saarbrucken.
History of Saarbrucken
The state capital of the Saarland region reaches a major milestone in its long and somewhat checkered history as it celebrates a very special anniversary this year.
In 1909, the baroque town of Saarbrucken merged with the market town of St. Johann and the industrial town of Malstatt/Burbach to create the city of Saarbrucken -- this calls for a celebration!
From April to October, Saarbrucken is hosting various festivities under the slogan "100 years of Saarbrucken City" to mark the occasion. Events range from concerts to local history lectures.
But the history of Saarbrucken goes back much further.
First the Celts, then the Romans settled in the area. A pagan Mithraic temple was discovered at the foot of Mt. Halberg and now remains preserved as a ruin.
A Celtic hill fort was unearthed on top of the Sonnenberg Hill.
On the River Saar, to the east of the present-day town, lay the crossroads of two main trade routes: one running between Metz and Worms, the other between Trier and Strasbourg.
In the third century, a flourishing Roman settlement (vicus) used to stand on this site and a bridge protected by a fort once crossed the Saar River. The existence of Saarbrucken was first documented in 999 under the name "Castellum Sarabrucca."
Visitors exploring the town on the river Saar will be led past the mediaeval castle and will soon discover works of the great baroque architect Friedrich Joachim Stengel at every turn.
Stengel shaped the look and feel of the town like no other.
The three prettiest squares in Saarbrucken are the Schlossplatz, Ludwigsplatz and the St. Johanner Market Square. They act as focal points in Stengel's urban concept.
The bourgeois buildings from the Grunderzeit, so-called "Founding Epoch" in Germany, form a contrast to the baroque castle.
The Neo-Gothic Rathaus St. Johann, Saarbrucken's town hall, was designed by the architect Georg von Hauberisser and boasts an impressive 50-meter high tower.
Regional History -- Germany and Europe
The Treaty of Versailles first created Saarland as an administrative unit on Jan. 10 1920: The industrial region alongside Saar and Blies was subjected by statute to the rule of the League of Nations.
While Saarland was economically dominated by France as one of the victorious powers of World War I, it politically was ruled by five members of a League of Nations governing commission.
The first democratic constitution of Saarland was developed under the French occupation after World War II.
This Constitution, dated Dec. 17, 1947, established Saarland's economic incorporation into France and separation from Germany while granting it limited political autonomy.
On Nov. 6, 1957, the Constitution was passed with the great majority of votes of the newly elected Saarland parliament.
However, only parties with French orientation were admitted to the election.
All the same, a radical change in Saarland politics occurred when the "European Statute" was rejected by referendum and the thus necessary new elections brought a significant majority for parties oriented towards Germany.
In the following, the Constitution of Saarland was aligned with the provisions of the German Constitution, so that Saarland could join the Federal Republic of Germany on Jan. 1, 1957, thereby becoming its 10th federal state.
In its elementary Article 60 of the latest 1993 version, the Constitution stipulates that "Saarland is a free democracy and a constitutional state within the Federal Republic of Germany" and that Saarland advocates "the contribution of independent regions to European decision-making".
According to Saarland's Constitution, the ministries, who are the highest administrative agencies, form the heads of administration.
Being a smallest country state (as opposed to the German city states), Saarland has no regional councils.
On the administrative level of country districts, the district authority is entrusted with the functions of a lower administrative agency.
On the local level, the mayors administer government tasks.
In addition, special administrative needs are taken care of by specific administrative agencies of Saarland.
Modernizing the state's administration is on the top priorities for Saarland's government. About 2,300 (or 60 percent) of administrative rules and regulations have been abolished since 1999.
On the basis of an expert opinion by Jens Hesse, a professor for administrative law in Berlin, further efficiency gains will be achieved.
The opinion recommends not only extensive reforms of administration on the level of the German federal state, but also on the municipal plain.
Municipal self-administration is in the hands of the country-districts and municipalities.
Since the land reform of 1974, Saarland is composed of five country-districts, the city-district of Saarbrucken, as well as 52 municipalities.
While both country district and city district have a district parliament and the head of district authority as organs, town councils, who then elect a mayor, represent municipalities.
The town councils are elected for a period of five years, while the term of office for heads of district authorities and mayors, who both have to be elected with absolute majority, ends after eight years.
Both town councils and the district parliaments have decision-making and supervising powers, whereas the mayors and heads of district authorities are in charge of executive functions.
With the 1974 land reform, more than 400 formerly independent municipalities were turned into boroughs, which are represented by elected borough councils. In the capital Saarbr?cken, those councils are called district councils.
Economy
Saarbrucken is the economic center of the region. With its more than 15,000 business enterprises, the state capital of the Saarland is the economic heart of the area and has become an important point of reference for the Saar-Lor-Lux region.
Many industrial corporations and service providers are headquartered in the state capital. The successful economy of the area is built on a highly skilled workforce.
As a business location Saarbrucken offers its approximately 180,000 inhabitants many advantages:
Saarbrucken is easy to reach from different motorways linked to the European road network. In addition, the InterCityExpress (ICE) train service from Frankfurt to Paris via Saarbrucken makes travelling to these cities both quick and simple.
Saarbrucken International Airport and the River Saar, which was transformed into a navigation channel for larger vessels, complement the various travel options.
The local administration, federal state government, regional corporation headquarters and ministries are all located in Saarbrucken.
The compact nature of the town minimizes walking distances to the town hall, approval authorities and other facilities and constitutes an advantage for companies in Saarbrucken.
More than 1.000 stores and boutiques offer visitors an ultimate shopping sensation. The shopping experience will be made even better by 2009 as a brand new shopping center with a retail floor space of over 25,000 square meters is set to open its doors to the public.
Well known events such as the Old Town Festival, the Saar Spectacle, the Max Ophuls Film Festival, the Perspectives Theater Festival as well as various museums, theatres and a vibrant scene of artists make culture more accessible to all.
To "think European" has long become a reality in Saarbrucken. Actively participating in inter-regional networks means joining forces and strengthening the competitiveness of the area's transnational center.
The Euro-zone Saarbrucken-Forbach service and business-park provides tailor-made solutions for innovative technology-oriented companies and ensures easy access to the French and German market.
The town network QuattroPole, a strategic alliance between Luxembourg, Metz, Saarbrucken and Trier, and the Eurodistrict SaarMoselle both share the same guiding principles and will pave the way for the future of our bicultural region.
Saarland is one of the countries in Germany which changed its course.
The federal state has turned into an attractive economic area due to the conviction that these country's riches do no longer lie under its soil, but in the heads of the people.
The economy is characterized by the coexistence of traditional industries and future technology. The steel- and automotive industry, for example, make an indispensable contribution to economic growth and employment.
When talking about steel from Saarland, one company is always mentioned: Dillinger Hutte. Without its steel, the bridge of Millau in South of France could not have been built.
Saarland offers special expertise to the automotive industry. For example, nearly half of the components of the BMW X3 are designed or manufactured here.
In addition, the automotive industry has become not only the biggest industrial sector in the SaarLorLux-area, but also its biggest employer.
Far more than 40,000 jobs -- a third of all jobs in industry -- are directly or indirectly fuelled by this sector.
Nearly 2,000 vehicles are produced every day by Ford in Saarlouis.
The Ford Supplier Park with its dozen suppliers is a model for industry and a first-class advertisement for our automotive pillar. In the whole of Saarland, small, medium and big companies manufacture high-quality vehicle components and equipment parts. Since 1999, the automotive industry created 1,500 new jobs.
Education
Saarbrucken has become a renowned center of science. Six universities (the Saarland University, the University of Applied Sciences (HTW), the Saar Academy of Music and the Academy of Fine Arts (HBKSaar), to name a few) with 20,000 students make Saarbrucken an important university and research town.
Both its proximity to Luxembourg, Trier, Metz, Nancy, and the Western Palatinate and its close contacts with the research facilities there have a strong impact on the science center of Saarbrucken.
The Saarland University offers a wide range of courses in a variety of different subjects, and has gained international recognition in a number of fields: the Saarbrucken Graduate School of Computer Sciences was chosen for funding twice by the Excellence Initiative and both the Graduate School of Material Sciences and the Graduate School of Biomedicine have earned acclaim for their research.
New start-up companies specializing in the high-growth technology sector have been clustering around the town's first-class universities and research centers.
The DFKI, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, is located in Saarbrucken and is one of the leading business-related research centers in the field of innovative software technology in Germany.
It is also internationally recognized as a center of excellence in its field.
The Max Planck Institutes for Computer Sciences and for Software Systems are also first-rate academic institutions and have attracted international attention for their scientific papers, development of software systems and support of young talent.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe are also located on the Saarland University campus.
The latter institution is aimed at strengthening cooperation between Korea and Europe in the field of basic scientific research and technological innovation.
The number of IT companies headquartered in the state capital of Saarbrucken is growing steadily and new fields of activity such as Nano-and Biotechnology are being introduced to secure the industry of tomorrow.
Culture
The Saarland has a rich and colorful cultural life. In Saarland, three European cultures meet and inspire one another across borders.
It is therefore not surprising that visitors can go on a quite unique hike.
The sculptor Paul Schneider and other artists from all over the world created those sculptures during an international sculptor symposia running from 1986 to 1992 which are known as "Stones at the Border."
In regards to the 10 "Gardens Without Borders" between Weiskirchen in Saarland, Bitche in France and Schengen in Luxembourg, national borders play no role, either.
The gardens stretch over the borders of three countries and impress visitors with their baroque and renaissance splendor.
Beside this, various museums, like Saarlandmuseum, Historic Museum or Newspaper Museum, offer a diverse array of exhibits that not only experts find inspiring.
In the Old Volklingen Steel Works, which were in operation until 1986 and declared UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, visitors can still feel the pulse of one of the formerly biggest steel works in Europe, walk through exhibitions or enjoy musical events.
The State Theatre, which consists of three different houses, has an excellent name going beyond the borders of the regions and follows a modern and diverse approach.
Leisure
Saarbrucken is a very vibrant cultural city.
The Saarland State Theater stages top class opera, theater and ballet performances at three different venues.
Sparte4 is the latest performance location and provides a platform for young artists and unusual pieces ranging from shows to readings.
The Pavilions of the Modern Gallery were built by the architect Hans Saarbrucker in 1965 and are situated directly on the banks of the Saar River.
The art gallery regularly features special exhibitions in addition to the permanent displays of extraordinary artwork from the 19th to 21st century which include significant German impressionist, expressionist and art informal paintings as well as outstanding contemporary art and sculpture.
The History Museum on the Schlossplatz offers a fascinating insight into the region's past.
The castle's underground casemates have been incorporated into the museum complex.
The Museum of Prehistory and Early History will take one even further back in time.
This archaeological journey offers one the opportunity to dip deep into Saarbrucken's history and view a variety of Stone Age, Iron Age and Roman artifacts.
The precious grave goods found in the Celtic tomb of the Reinheim princess are particularly interesting. The Museum for Ecclesiastical Art is a relatively new museum in the Schlosskirche, Saarbrucken's castle church.
Saarbrucken is also a popular location for hot events.
Annual highlights include the Max Ophuls Film Festival for up-and-coming directors which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and the Perspectives Theater Festival, the only French theater festival taking place in Germany.
Teenagers just can't wait for the summer holidays to begin as this is when the local broadcasting company Saarlandischer Rundfunk hosts the Halberg Open Air Concert on top of the Halberg Hill. Numerous internationally acclaimed rock bands perform and entrance to the concert is free of charge.
Every first weekend in August the town stops for the Saar Spectacle, the largest water and water sports event in Germany.
The Saar Spectacle provides a thrilling and sensational program for visitors to both watch and take part in and creates a maritime atmosphere in the heart of Saarbrucken.