Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [454]
The plant’s massive scale dwarfs mere humans, who nevertheless, though soft and tiny, managed to master the forces of fire, wind and earth in order to smelt iron, without which civilisation as we know it could not exist. Fine views of the whole rusty ensemble can be had from atop a 45m blast furnace (helmet required). Parts of the vast complex are being reclaimed by trees, shrubs and mosses. Brochures and all signs are in German, English and French.
Colourful works of modern art make a particularly cheerful impression amid the ageing concrete and rusted pipes, beams, conveyors and car-sized ladles. Check out the website for details on exhibitions and events (eg summertime jazz concerts). At night the compound is luridly lit up like a vast science-fiction set.
Trains link the town of Völklingen with Saarbrücken (€3, 10 minutes, twice an hour) and Trier (€13.30, one hour, at least hourly); the ironworks are a three-minute walk from the Bahnhof.
By car, take the A620 to Völklingen and follow the signs to the ‘Weltkulturerbe’.
Return to beginning of chapter
METTLACH
06864 / pop 12,600
Mettlach, on the Saar River about 50km northwest of Saarbrücken, is at the heart of the prettiest section of the Saarland. For the last two centuries, its history has been tied to the global ceramics firm Villeroy & Boch (www.villeroy-boch.com), whose headquarters has been in Alte Abtei (Saaruferstrasse), a former Benedictine abbey on the banks of the Saar River, since 1809.
Today, the abbey houses the Erlebniscentrum (Discovery Centre; 811 020; adult/family €3.50/6; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6pm Sat, Sun & holidays, parts closed until 2pm Sun Nov-Feb), which includes a multimedia exhibit called Keravision, introducing the company’s history and products; the Keramikmuseum (www.keramikmuseum-mettlach.de, in German), with its collection of fine historical porcelain; the ornately tiled Museumscafé, a replica of a Dresden dairy shop decorated by Villeroy & Boch in 1892; and, out in the garden, a refreshingly quirky piece of walk-in art, Living Planet Square, whose giant bird topiary towers above six ceramic-tile walls representing the continents and their peopling in a rather, shall we say, graphic fashion.
The tourist office (Saarschleife Touristik; 8334; www.tourist-info.mettlach.de; Freiherr-vom-Stein-Strasse 64; 10am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat, Sun & holidays) is in Mettlach’s pedestrian zone, which is also where you’ll find a bunch of factory outlet stores.
Frequent regional trains link Mettlach with Saarbrücken (€7.40, 40 minutes) and Trier (€8.40, 45 minutes). By car from Saarbrücken, take the A8 to the Merzig-Schwemlingen exit and then follow the B51 north – look for signs to the ‘Erlebniscentrum’. North of Mettlach, towards Trier, the B51 follows a drop-dead-gorgeous stretch of the Saar River.
Return to beginning of chapter
AROUND METTLACH
The most scenic spot along the Saar River is the Saarschleife, where the river makes a spectacular, hairpin turn. It’s in the community of Orscholz, in a large nature park about 5km northwest of Mettlach (towards Nennig). The best viewing point is Cloef, a short walk through the forest from the village.
Return to beginning of chapter
PERL-NENNIG
06866 / pop 6600
Perl-Nennig, on the Luxembourg border about 20km west of Mettlach and 40km south of Trier, is the Saarland’s only winegrowing community. The local specialities are made with grape varieties from Burgundy, introduced after the war when the region was under French control. On weekends between April and October, winegrowers open up their cellars for tastings on a rotating basis.
The best preserved and, perhaps, most lavish Roman mosaic north of the Alps can be seen in the reconstructed Römische Villa (Roman Villa; 1329; Römerstrasse 11; adult/child €1.50/0.75; 8.30am-noon & 1-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep, 9am-noon & 1-4.30pm Tue-Sun Oct, Nov & Mar). Comprising three