City of Saarbrücken located at the banks of the Saar River. It’s a capital of Saarland land, the most western part of the Germany. City located not far from the France and Luxemburg and has absorbed into himself the spirit and traditions of three nations.
It’s a young city which appeared after another three cities were combined in 1909. But this area was already settled in the Roman time. Here was crossroad which connected such cities as Strusburg and Trier and here also was a Roman military camp which protected this important hub.
Saarbrücken (let us combine local towns into one a little earlier) flourished in 17th and 18 th centuries, under the rule of Duke Wilhelm Heinrich von Nassau-Saarbrücken and most of the historical monuments in the city were built in that period.
Almost all buildings were built by designs of Friedrich Joachim Stengel so today the citizens of Saarbrücken are thankful to this architect.
Among his works are Catholic Basilika St Johann (1754–8) in the Market Place, and the monumental Castle, on the opposite bank of the Saar (1739–48).
But façade of the Castle is a modern work. During the World War II Saarbrücken was heavily bombarded and many of historical buildings were demolished. Façade of the Castle has been restored only in 1989.
Next to castle there is Altes Rathaus (or old town hall), which originates from 1748–50. Today it hosts an interesting museum of ethnography.
The Protestant Ludwigskirche (1762–75) is designed in the classical shape of a Greek cross. It’s a one of the most beautiful churches in the city and a real gem in architectural ensemble of Saarbrücken. If you visit the Saarbrücken with children may be you will be interested in the Gulliver-Miniwelt Park which is a small copy of our big world. At the park you can see small copies of many famous buildings.
