The Saarland , taking its name from the River Saar which cuts through its length, is the poorest of the western German Länder, traditionally a big coalmining area which is now suffering from a bad case of post-industrial malaise. It's always been a political football; much of it belonged to France up until 1815, and wrangles continued into last century. After World War I the Saarland passed into League of Nations control, which effectively meant that the French took over, with the right to exploit local mines in compensation for damage done to their own mining industry during the war. In the January 1935 plebiscite 90 percent of Saarlanders voted for union with Nazi Germany. After World War II the Saar once again found itself in limbo, nominally autonomous but with the French government pushing for economic union. In November 1952 the population voted against reunion with Germany, but by January 1957 the increasing prosperity of the Federal Republic had convinced the Saarlanders that their future lay there, and they thus rejoined the fold - much to the chagrin of the French government.

 

The Land is modestly endowed in terms of tourist attractions, though it does have a surprising amount of pleasant, gently rolling wooded countryside. Moreover, the satanic mills of the industrial era which dominate many of the townscapes are now regarded as valuable parts of the heritage, particularly as this is one of the few parts of Western Europe where they have not already been demolished en masse. The French have left a small linguistic legacy in the shape of the greeting Salü which replaces the normal Guten Tag here. There's also been a marked French influence on local cuisine , traditionally a poor-man's fare based on innumerable potato variations, such as Hooriche (rissoles).