Saarland genealogy relates to the study of family history in the modern-day state of Saarland, located in southwest Germany. Approximately 990,000 people live in Saarland with 86% identifying as German nationals.[1]
The river Saar flows as a tributary of the Moselle through Saarland from the south to the northwest. The word Saar itself derives from the Celtic sara, meaning streaming water.
Saarland shares international borders with France and Luxembourg. It neighbors the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz.
The primary records for genealogists in Saarland include church records and civil records. Many family trees for families from Saarland can be found on MyHeritage.
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History of Saarland
Saarland has a complicated history, belonging at various times to France, Prussia, and Nassau-Saarbrücken, ruled by the von Nassau-Saarbrücken family. Its earliest known inhabitants were Celts and Germanic Franks, and it became a part of Charlemagne's empire.[2]
Territorial lordships emerged around and including modern-day Saarland in the late Middle Ages, such as the Electorate of Trier, the Duchy of Lothringen (Lorraine), and the Duchy of Pfalz-Zweibrücken.[3] The aftermath of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) resulted in the migration of Austrians, Swiss, and French to the Saar region in the 17th century, evident in Catholic parish records for Blieskastel and Homburg, which had surnames from these places introduced.[4]
Saar became a French province in 1684, which lasted until 1697; it was under French occupation from 1793-1815 following the French Revolution until the end of the Napoleonic Wars.[3] The territory was split between Prussia, Bavaria, Oldenburg, and Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld from 1815 onwards. The region was heavily impacted in 1870-1871 by the Franco-Prussian War. France took control of the Saarland coal mines in 1920 as part of the Versailles Treaty. Saarland returned to Germany in 1935. It became a federal state of Germany on 1 January 1957.[2]
While historically German-speaking, Saarland has many connections with France due to the shared border and history. Saarland's top trading partner today is France, and the state advocates for its citizens to learn French. It aspires to become Germany's first multilingual federal state by 2043.[5]
Geography of Saarland
Saarland is made up of many forests, one of the most densely wooded areas in all of Germany[6], with a valley centralized along the river Saar. The smaller Blies and Prims rivers flow into the Saar.
It is also a hilly territory with the Dollberg mountain in the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (Black Forest High Forest) reaching a height of 695 meters above sea level; hiking is popular in this area.[7]
The climate of Saarland is known for moderately warm summers and mild winters.[2]
Demographics of Saarland
The largest cities of Saarland, with their population figures as of 2021:[8]
- Saarbrücken (capital): 179,634
- Neunkirchen: 46,098
- Homburg: 41,612
- Völklingen: 39,428
- Sankt Ingbert: 34,971
A survey of Saarland in 2018 found it has the highest concentration of Roman Catholics of any German state; respondents identified as 57% Catholic, 18% Protestant, and the remainder other or none.[9]
Popular industries associated with Saarland include coal mining, steel production, and iron production. The automobile and technology sectors are growing in influence.
Saarland surnames
Notable people from Saarland
The following well-known people are natives of Saarland:
- Timo Bernhard, racing automobile driver
- Ingrid Caven, film actress, singer
- Georg II von Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl, nobleman
- Markus Groß, computer scientist
- Markus Heitz, writer, journalist, sci-fi writer
- Bernhard Henrich, production designer
- Fedor Holz, poker player, businessperson
- Wolfgang Klein, linguist, philologist
- Joachim Meyerhoff, film actor, writer
- Wilhelm Ludwig von Nassau-Saarbrücken, count, military personnel
Types of records
Family books for the parish of Niederbexbach and multiple parishes in the Schwarzwälder Hochwald (Black Forest High Forest) region of Saarland are digitized online at genealogy.net.
Church records and civil records are the most informative for those researching in Saarland:
- Catholic Church records are at the Bistumsarchiv Trier
- Lutheran Church records are at the Archiv der Evangelischen Kirche im Rheinland
- Civil records are at the Landesarchiv Saarbrücken
There are also genealogical records at the Stadtarchiv Homburg and Stadtarchiv Blieskastel.
Some families of Saarland can be found in the following MyHeritage databases:
A large number of Saarland families are well-documented in family trees at MyHeritage. Search those in the box below.
Explore more about Saarland genealogy
- Researching German Ancestors on MyHeritage by James Beidler on MyHeritage
- Borders, Maps and Gazetteers for German Genealogists by Legacy Family Tree Webinars
- Ask The Expert – German Records by Daniel Horowitz on MyHeritage
References
- ↑ Current population of German states, Statistisches Bundesamt. https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Society-Environment/Population/Current-Population/Tables/population-by-laender.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Saarland, state in Germany. Britannica Encyclopedia. https://www.britannica.com/place/Saarland
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 History of Saarland. Saarland.de. https://www.saarland.de/stk/EN/history
- ↑ Kanalley, Craig. Personal research, Blieskastel (Saarland) Catholic Parish records and Homburg (Saarland) Catholic Parish records, plus evaluation of local records at Stadtarchiv Homburg in 2014.
- ↑ France strategy, Saarland. https://www.saarland.de/stk/EN/history/france-strategy
- ↑ Nature and the environment. Saarland.de. https://www.saarland.de/EN/topics/nature-and-the-environment/nature-and-the-environment
- ↑ Dollbergschleife Dream Loop (Traumschleife). Hiking trail. The Saar-Hunsrück Trail.https://www.saar-hunsrueck-steig.de/en/dreamloops/dollbergschleife
- ↑ Top 10 Cities of Saarland by Population https://www.top10cities.net/country/germany-saarland.php
- ↑ Kirchenmitgliederzahlen Stand (Church membership numbers), Dec. 31, 2018, Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland. https://www.ekd.de/ekd_de/ds_doc/Ber_Kirchenmitglieder_2018.pdf