The Saar (; french: Sarre ) is a river in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and western

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, and a right tributary of the

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A ...

. It rises in the

Vosges mountains The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a singl ...

on the border of

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

and

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

and flows northwards into the Moselle near

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. It has two headstreams (the ''Sarre Rouge'' and ''Sarre Blanche'', which join in

Lorquin Lorquin (; german: Lörchingen; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lëëschinge'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Moselle department The following is a list of the 725 communes of t ...

), that both start near

Mont Donon Mont Donon is the highest peak in the northern Vosges. It is a Category 2 climb in the Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's Race stage, multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occas ...

, the highest peak of the northern Vosges. After (129 kilometres; 80 miles in France and on the French-German border, and 117 kilometres; 73 miles in Germany) the Saar flows into the Moselle at Konz (

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

) between Trier and the Luxembourg border. It has a

catchment area In human geography, a catchment area is the area from which a location, such as a city, service or institution, attracts a population that uses its services and economic opportunities. Catchment areas may be defined based on from where people are ...

of .

The Saar flows through the following

departments of France In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

, states of Germany and towns: *

(F):

Abreschviller Abreschviller (; german: Alberschweiler) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France. Geography Abreschviller is a small, long-drawn-out, village in the Vosges mountains, surrounded by vast forests. It is locate ...

(Sarre Rouge),

Sarrebourg Sarrebourg (; also , ; Lorraine Franconian: ; older la, Pons Saravi) is a commune of northeastern France. In 1895 a Mithraeum was discovered at Sarrebourg at the mouth of the pass leading from the Vosges Mountains. Geography Sarrebourg i ...

, Fénétrange *

Bas-Rhin Bas-Rhin (; Alsatian: ''Unterelsàss'', ' or '; traditional german: links=no, Niederrhein; en, Lower Rhine) is a department in Alsace which is a part of the Grand Est super-region of France. The name means 'Lower Rhine', referring to its lo ...

(F):

Sarre-Union Sarre-Union () is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It consists of two older towns that were unified on 16 June 1794. On the east bank of the river Sarre is the town of Bouquenom () and on the west bank ...

(F):

Sarralbe Sarralbe (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Alwe'' or ''Saaralwe'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also * Communes of the Moselle department The following is a list of the 725 communes of the Mosel ...

Sarreguemines Sarreguemines (; German: ''Saargemünd'' , Lorraine Franconian: ''Saargemìnn'') is a commune in the Moselle department of the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. It is the seat of an arrondissement and a canton. As of ...

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, a ...

(D):

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is ...

Völklingen Völklingen (french: Vœlklange, Moselle Franconian: ''Välglinge'') is a town in the district of Saarbrücken, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 10 km west of Saarbrücken, and directly borders France. The to ...

Wadgassen Wadgassen is a municipality in the district of Saarlouis, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated on the river Saar, approx. 6 km southeast of Saarlouis, and 15 km west of Saarbrücken. Religion Between 1135 and 1792 the Premonstratensia ...

, Bous,

Saarlouis Saarlouis (; french: link=no, Sarrelouis, ; formerly Sarre-Libre and Saarlautern) is a town in Saarland, Germany, capital of the district of Saarlouis. In 2020, the town had a population of 34,409. Saarlouis, as the name implies, is located on t ...

, Dillingen, Merzig *

(D):

Saarburg Saarburg (, ) is a city of the Trier-Saarburg district, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the banks of the river Saar in the hilly country a few kilometers upstream from the Saar's junction with the Moselle. Now known as a to ...

, Konz.

Aerial image of the confluence of the Saar and Moselle

On the banks of the Saar is the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

Völklinger Hütte. At

Mettlach Mettlach (Saarlandic dialect:Mettlich) is a municipality in the district Merzig-Wadern, in Saarland, Germany, situated on the river Saar, approximately northwest of Merzig, and south of Trier. The headquarters of Villeroy & Boch are in Mettlac ...

the Saar passes the well-known Saar loop. The lower Saar in Rhineland-Palatinate is a

winegrowing Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ra ...

region of some importance, producing mostly

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

. 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

Tributaries of the Saar are, from source to mouth: *

Sarre Blanche Sarre can refer to: * Saarland or , a German state * Sarre (département), a former French département, now part of Germany * Sarre, Aosta Valley, a town in Italy * Sarre, Kent, a village in the United Kingdom * Sarre river or Saar, a river in F ...

(left) *

Sarre Rouge Sarre can refer to: * Saarland or , a German state * Sarre (département), a former French département, now part of Germany * Sarre, Aosta Valley, a town in Italy * Sarre, Kent, a village in the United Kingdom * Sarre river or Saar, a river in Fr ...

(right) * Bièvre (right) * Isch (right) * Albe (left) * Eichel (right) * Blies (right) * Rohrbach (right) * Köllerbach (right) * Rossel (left) * Bist (left) * Ellbach (right) * Prims (right) *

Nied The Nied (; ) is a river in Lorraine, France, and Saarland, Germany. It is a left tributary of the Saar. It is formed where two streams converge: the ''Nied allemande'' ("German Nied") and the ''Nied française'' ("French Nied"), which join in ...

(left) *

Leukbach Leukbach is a river of Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is long. The catchment area is . It flows into the Saar in Saarburg. See also *List of rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate *List of rivers of Saarland A list of rivers of Saarl ...

(left)

Navigation

In 2001, the lowermost section from the confluence of Saar and Moselle at Konz up to the city of Saarbrücken was upgraded for navigation with Class Vb ships. Since then, goods can be transported in northbound direction, for instance, to the sea port of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

. 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 section between Saarbrücken and Sarreguemines is navigable for smaller Class I ships.Längen der Hauptschifffahrtswege der Binnenwasserstraßen des Bundes, Liste 4
Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur (

Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (german: Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr, ), abbreviated BMDV, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. Its main office is located in Berlin, while the majority ...

) At Sarreguemines the Canal de la Sarre (also navigable for Class I ships) connects the Saar since 1866 with the

Marne–Rhine Canal The Canal de la Marne au Rhin (Marne–Rhine Canal) is a canal in north-eastern France. It connects the river Marne and the Canal entre Champagne et Bourgogne in Vitry-le-François with the port of Strasbourg on the Rhine. The original objecti ...

at Gondrexange.Fluviacarte
Canal de la Sarre

References

{{Authority control Rivers of France Rivers of Saarland Rivers of Rhineland-Palatinate Federal waterways in Germany Rivers of Grand Est Rivers of Moselle (department) Rivers of Bas-Rhin Rivers of Germany France–Germany border International rivers of Europe Border rivers