Saarlouis (district)

Infobox German district noregbez
name=Saarlouis
state=Saarland
capital=Saarlouis
area=459.08
population=211,393
population_as_of=2002
density=460
carsign=SLS
url= [http://www.kreis-saarlouis.de kreis-saarlouis.de]

Saarlouis is a Kreis (district) in the middle of the Saarland, Germany. Neighboring districts are Merzig-Wadern, Sankt Wendel, Neunkirchen, Saarbrücken, and the French "département" Moselle.

History

The district was part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The biggest part of the district was part of duchy of Lorraine which gradually came under French sovereignty (still as a part of the holy empire) between 1737 and 1766. Other villages were part of the county of Nassau-Saarbrücken. The territory of the city Saarlouis which was built to protect the border, came to France as part of the three Bishoprics. Other villages, which today are considered to be too small to form villages of their own were independent empirial territories. The district showed the fundamental problem of the whole empire: A strong influence of foreign rulers and mircro-sized territories. After the Napoleonic wars the area went to Prussia, which in 1816 created the district as part of its Rhineland province. From 1936-1945 it was called "Saarlautern", when the Nazi government tried to exchange the French name for a German one.

Geography

The main river in the district is the Saar.

Coat of arms

Towns and municipalities

External links

* [http://www.kreis-saarlouis.de Official website] (German)