Saarburg is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district in the Rhineland-Palatinate state of Germany, on the banks of the Saar river in the Saar region, in hilly country not far upstream from the Saar’s junction with the Moselle river.

History: The history of the city begins with the construction of the now-ruined castle by Graf Siegfried of Luxembourgin 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. Saarburg is the seat of the Verbandsgemeinde (“collective township or municipality”) Saarburg.

The name: Saarburg takes its name from Burg, or medieval keep. At the heart of the town lies a cascade or Rauch of white water surrounded by half-timbered houses (Stuart Pigott 1995, p.35). Much of the town was destroyed during the last months of the Second World War (Stuart Pigott: 1995, p.36). The town’s best vineyard sites, set back slightly from the river, are Saarburger Antoniusbrunnen, Saarburger Kupp, and Saarburger Rausch.

Vineyard sites: Saarburger Antoniusbrunnen. | Saarburger Bergschlossen. | Saarburger Kupp. | Saarburger Rausch.

Bibliography

Stuart Pigott, The Wine Atlas of Germany and the Traveller’s Guide to the Vineyards (Mitchell Beazley, 1995).