| Saar | |
|---|---|
 Saar loop at Mettlach | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Countries | France andGermany |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Sarre Blanche |
| • location | Vosges mountains,Bas-Rhin |
| • coordinates | 48°31′37″N7°09′45″E / 48.52694°N 7.16250°E /48.52694; 7.16250 (Sarre Blanche) |
| • elevation | ±800 m (2,600 ft) |
| 2nd source | Sarre Rouge |
| • location | Vosges mountains,Moselle |
| • coordinates | 48°32′05″N7°10′05″E / 48.53472°N 7.16806°E /48.53472; 7.16806 (Sarre Rouge) |
| • elevation | ±670 m (2,200 ft) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Moselle |
• coordinates | 49°42′5″N6°34′11″E / 49.70139°N 6.56972°E /49.70139; 6.56972 |
| Length | 246 km (153 mi) |
| Basin size | 7,431 km2 (2,869 sq mi) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 75 m3/s (2,600 cu ft/s) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Moselle→Rhine→North Sea |
TheSaar (German:[zaːɐ̯]ⓘ;French:Sarre[saʁ]ⓘ) is a river in northeasternFrance and westernGermany, and a right tributary of theMoselle. It rises in theVosges mountains on the border ofAlsace andLorraine and flows northwards into the Moselle nearTrier. It has two headstreams (theSarre Rouge andSarre Blanche, which join inLorquin), that both start nearMont Donon, the highest peak of the northern Vosges. After 246 kilometres (153 mi) (129 kilometres; 80 miles in France and on theFrench-German border,[1] and 117 kilometres; 73 miles in Germany) the Saar flows into the Moselle at Konz (Rhineland-Palatinate) between Trier and the Luxembourg border. It has acatchment area of 7,431 square kilometres (2,869 sq mi).
The Saar flows through the followingdepartments of France,states of Germany and towns:
On the banks of the Saar is theUNESCO-World Heritage SiteVölklinger Hütte. AtMettlach the Saar passes the well-known Saar loop. The lower Saar in Rhineland-Palatinate is awinegrowing region of some importance, producing mostlyRiesling. Until the early 20th century, much more wine was grown on the banks of the Saar, reaching much further up from the mouth of the river, up to Saarbrücken. Only in the early 21st century have some enterprising farmers from the Saarland area started experimenting with winegrowing again.
The name Saar stems from the Celtic word sara (streaming water), and the Roman name of the river, saravus.
Tributaries of the Saar are, from source to mouth:[1]
In 2001, the lowermost 87.2 km (54.2 mi) section from the confluence of Saar and Moselle at Konz up to the city of Saarbrücken was upgraded for navigation withClass Vb ships. Since then, goods can be transported in northbound direction, for instance, to the sea port ofRotterdam. In its middle section, the Saar had been made navigable in 1866 and was used for the transport of coal (upstream) and of iron ore (downstream) in southbound direction. The 17.5 km (10.9 mi) section between Saarbrücken and Sarreguemines is navigable for smaller Class I ships.[2] At Sarreguemines the 64 km (40 mi)Canal de la Sarre (also navigable for Class I ships) connects the Saar since 1866 with theMarne–Rhine Canal atGondrexange.[3]
Tributaries of the riverMoselle | ||
|---|---|---|
| From the left |  | |
| From the right | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
