Saarburg

Saarburg (pop. ~6,700) is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, on the banks of the Saar River in the hilly country a few kilometers upstream from the Saar's junction with the Moselle.

Saarburg is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") Saarburg. The area around Saarburg is noted for the cultivation of Riesling grapes.

History

The history of the city begins with the construction of the now-ruined castle by Graf Siegfried of Luxembourg in 964. It received its town charter in 1291. The city has a bell foundry, the Glockengießerei Mabilion, which has been in operation since the 1770s, and as of 2003 the only one in Germany that makes bronze bells.

In 1945 to 1948 Saarburg was occupied by troops from Luxembourg. From 18 July 1946 to 6 June 1947 Onsdorf, in its then municipal boundary, formed part of the Saar Protectorate. French troops complemented the occupation until 1955.

Twin towns — Sister cities

Saarburg is twinned with:

Saarburg (Verbandsgemeinde)

Saarburg is a Verbandsgemeinde ("collective municipality") in the district Trier-Saarburg, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The seat of the Verbandsgemeinde is in Saarburg.

The Verbandsgemeinde Saarburg consists of the following Ortsgemeinden ("local municipalities"):

Coordinates: 49°36′33″N 6°33′01″E / 49.60917°N 6.55028°E / 49.60917; 6.55028