SAAR LOOP
Cloef - Viewpoint of the Saarschlieff
The
Saar River winds from the Vosges mountains in France, through western
Germany and across the border again into France’s Lorraine region
before joining with the Mosel. The two rivers parallel each other for
a bit with the Saar cutting through deep sloped gorges. The German side
region is the Saarland, with its main city Saarbrücken, named for
the bridge the Romans built across the river two millenium ago. Near
the town of Mettlach in the river makes a sharp u-turn in the steep thickly
wooded hills, the Saar Curve or Saar Loop. Locally the curve is called
the Saar Cloef, which is neither German or French, but comes from the
Celtic, before even the arrival of the Romans (see Klause
Kastel Oppidum), though
an alternative theory that it relates to the French clef (key), is also
proposed.
The viewpoint of the great waterway sight is the Saarschlieff, the cliff
side vista
outlook with its now famous view.
The
Romans were the first tourists to the site to make it a dedicated must
see destination. The natural sight taking on a mystical quality
for its symmetricality which the Romans were sure must have been created
by the gods, they built an amphitheater to entertain the visitors who
came to see it. The Romans are long gone except for some excavated remnants,
but the viewpoint of the Saarshlieff has been developed into an entertainment
center, with a performance space and children’s fairytale theme
theme play park, the Märchen Park and family play zone for the visitor
drawn to view natures wonder.
The
Saar Loop became a prerequisite stop on the “Grand Tour” of
Europe in the 19th Century, with the crowned heads of Europe, Romantic
Landscape painters, Victorians, American Industrialists, and literary
figures like Mark Twain trekking through the rather remote county to
see the famous sight. Modern day dignitaries come as well to have a photo
taken at the symbol of the Saarland. The cliff view itself is a walk
through the woods to a sudden opening where the mountainside drops away
and the loop appears. A stone platform allows observation with benches
and observation telescopes. An impressive sight in its varied seasons,
green summers, colored autumns or snow dusted winters.
Visiting the Saar Loop
The Saar Loop (Saarschlieff) viewpoint is open every day. There is
no admission fee, but a charge for the nearest car park, best reached
by car, though also by city bus or even on foot from Mettlach. The
area around the Cloef is popular for its many walking trails. The town
of Mettlach is a relatively quiet country town catering to a long history
of tourists, with restaurants, and the headquarters and museum of Villeroy & Boch
ceramics, which made tiles for the Titanic. The larger town of Saarburg
with is castle and medieval churches and restaurants is fifteen minutes
by winding mountain road. For a look into Roman life, the Roman Villa
at Borg, where history has been brought back with a recreated country
house of Roman nobility has been built on the site of a real excavation
(see Roman Villa Borg) is a few minutes. Across the loop by ferry and
up the hill on the side is the 13th Century Montclair Castle. A short
drive away is the Klaus Castle, a medieval monastic retreat clinging
to the cliff side over the river. There is a full service restaurant,
the Bistro Mirabell and tourist souvenir shop at the very modern visitor
center with its water garden. © Bargain
Travel Europe
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See Also:
CASTLE
OF THE DUKES OF LORRAINE - SIERCK-LES-BAINS
COCHEM’S
REICHSBURG IMPERIAL CASTLE
KD FLEET - RHINE AND MOSEL RIVER CRUISES
