Merzig is a city in Saarland. Merzig is located in the Saar
valley at the southern end of the Hunsrück. It is about 50km away
from the cities of Saarbrücken, Trier, Metz and Luxembourg.
Historically, Merzig probably goes back to Celtic-Roman origins,
with some of the villages that today belong to the city area being
founded by the Frankish conquest in the 7th century. The oldest
mention of Merzig can be found in an order issued by the Western
Roman Emperor Valentinian during his stay in "Mansio praedium
Martiaticum" on June 4, 369. The Roman settlement is believed to be
at the exit of the Merchinger valley in the Hangenfeld district, as
it is in the area where the Ritzerbach flows together in the
Seffersbach diverse Roman finds were made.
Charles the Bald
gave the Merzig crown estate to the Archbishop of Trier, Bertolf, on
the occasion of his consecration as a bishop in 869. In the 12th and
13th centuries, the ministerial family of Merzig served the Elector.
The Archbishop of Trier had Vogtei rights in Merzig. Merzig was
divided into seven bailiwicks, "the bailiwick" of the archbishop,
the combined "Schultheiserei" with the "Montclairer bailiwick", the
"Rischerei", the "Mettlacher bailiwick", the "Brückerei" and the
"Propstei". In the Merzig district there is the deserted village of
Wolkessen or Wolkesingen, mentioned in 1337 in the documents of
Mettlach Abbey.
In the 11th century, Merzig became the main
town of the chapter of the same name, to which 45 parishes belonged.
From the 11th century, Merzig was caught between the expanding
powers of Electoral Trier and Lorraine.
In 1333, Trier was
able to assert its rights with the powerful Elector Baldwin against
Duke Rudolf of Lorraine in the men's court "zu den Bäumelen".
prevail over Merzig. After the strengthening of the Lorraine
dynasty, a stalemate developed and from 1368 Merzig was administered
jointly with the Merzig-Saargau district of Electorate Trier and
Lorraine. This condominium existed for about 400 years until 1778.
After that, Elector Clemenz Wenzeslaus elevated Merzig to the
electoral seat of Trier. This important part of Merzig's history is
reflected in the Merzig city coat of arms, which shows both the red
Electoral Trier and the black Lorraine double cross. After the end
of the French occupation, it became part of the Rhine Province in
1815.
It was not until May 25, 1857 that the Prussian king
expressly recognized the city rights of the city of Merzig.
Before the Holocaust, Merzig had a Jewish community that has been
documented since the 17th century. There is another Jewish cemetery
below the Kreuzberg. There is a memorial at the site of the former
synagogue on Synagogenstraße. Since 2012, as part of the
"Stolpersteine" project, the Cologne artist Gunther Demnig has been
laying stumbling blocks on Merziger Bürgersteine.
By plane
The nearest airport in Germany is the small airport
Saarbrücken (IATA: SCN), 60km south-east; 1½ hours by bus and train via
Saarbrücken Hbf). Slightly closer and larger is Luxembourg Airport
(IATA: LUX), 55km northwest; however, no convenient connection with
public transport)
By train
Merzig (Saar) station is on the
Saarbrücken-Trier railway line. There are regional trains every half
hour and regional express trains every hour from Saarbrücken Hbf
(journey time 30-40 minutes), hourly RB and RE from Trier (35-50
minutes) and Kaiserslautern (1:15-1:35 hours), as well as hourly RE from
Koblenz and Mannheim (both a good 2 hours). The changeover from
long-distance traffic usually takes place in Saarbrücken.
In the
street
Merzig and Merzig-Schwemlingen are junctions on the A8
Saarbrücken-Luxembourg motorway. The B54 leads here from Trier.
Saarbrücken is 45 km away (about 40 minutes' drive if traffic is good),
Trier is also 45 km (50 minutes), Luxembourg City 55 km (just under an
hour).
By boat
The Saar near Merzig is navigable
By
bicycle
Merzig is on the Saar Cycle Path, 45 km downstream from
Saarbrücken and 48 km upstream from the mouth of the Saar in Konz (57 km
from Trier).
churches
Saint Peter. three-aisled late Romanesque basilica,
approx. 1190-1230, with a baroque vicarage. Most important Romanesque
church in Saarland. Worth seeing inside: Gothic plague cross from the
14th century, paintings in the style of the Nazarene school.
Catholic
Church of St. Joseph. St. Peter in Merzig is the largest preserved
Romanesque church in Saarland.
Evangelical Church of Peace
Castles, palaces and castles
Malbrouck Castle (château de Malbrouck;
Manderen)
buildings
Old Town Hall, Poststrasse 20, 66663
Merzig. Built by master builder Matthias Staudt in 1647–1649 as an
electoral hunting lodge for Archbishop Philipp Christoph von Sötern of
Trier; Six-axle building with two corner towers protruding forward. The
stair tower burned down around 1730. The outside staircase and the
decorative building sculpture at the main portal were created under the
direction of master builder Christian Kretschmar. In 1829 the castle
became municipal property. In 1932/33 the interior layout was renewed as
part of a necessary renovation. The floors were laid out with Mettlach
terracotta tiles. The boardroom on the top floor was given an oak
parquet floor. In 1986 the building was expanded to include a new town
hall.
Stadt-Marxsches Bürgerhaus. built 1745-50) by master builder
Christian Kretschmar
Hilbringer Castle. In the 13th century there was
a ancestral seat of the Knights of Hilbringen on this site. After
several inheritances and marriages, in 1733 the property passed to the
Lorraine magistrate Francois Didier de Maurice from Forbach. In 1745 he
had the dilapidated castle demolished and the current building erected
by master builder Christian Kretschmar.
Fellenberg Castle
Villa Fuchs. Culture and event center.
Seffersbach Bridge. 1901, last
surviving suspension belt bridge "System Möller" in Saarland
half
house. Built around 1745 on the cattle market, where the Saar flowed
directly past the city in an angle until it was straightened in 1936/37.
Former "Provincial Irren-Anstalt" Merzig, today SHG Kliniken Merzig:
Location: Trierer Straße 148, built: 1872-76 by Carl Fr. Dittmar. Hidden
behind it on the Münchberg is the Gustav-Regler-Center, founded in 1997
as a "place for culture and tolerance".
Monuments
Stones on
the border (French: Menhirs de l'Europe) is the name of a sculpture
route along the German-French border on the heights of the Saargau. It
forms the Franco-German counterpart to the "Street of Sculptures" in
northern Saarland.
Museums
Precision Mechanics Museum
Fellenbergmühle, Marienstrasse 34, 66663 Merzig, Germany. Houses a
precision engineering workshop for the manufacture of watchmaking tools
and a locksmith's workshop from the end of the 19th century.
Expedition Museum Werner Freund, Propsteistraße 4, 66663 Merzig. Open:
Sun 14:00-18:00. Price: €2 (adults), €1 (children).
Local history
museum in Fellenberg Castle, Torstraße 45a, 66663 Merzig
Streets
and squares
Pedestrian zone "Poststrasse"
Bar area
"Triererstrasse"
church Square
Geographical location
Geographically, the district town of Merzig
in North Saarland lies between Saarbrücken and Trier – each 50
kilometers apart – in an elongated floodplain of the Saar. Metz in
France and Luxembourg are also each 50 kilometers away. The urban area
extends from this "Merzig Basin", in which the larger parts of the city
are to the right and left of the Saar, over a total of 108 km² to the
rising heights of the Saargau to the right and left. In the city center,
Merzig is 175 m above sea level, the surrounding Gauhöhen rise up to 417
m. 3,108 hectares of forest, 60 hectares of recreational areas such as
parks and green spaces, 5,862 hectares of agricultural and horticultural
land and 128 hectares of water make Merzig a “green” city with over 80
percent green space.
Early history
According to Johann Heinricht Kell, the oldest
mention of Merzig can be found in an order issued by the Western
Roman Emperor Valentinians during his stay in Martiaticum on June 4,
369, in which researchers mostly do not want to identify Merzig, but
rather Aquae Mattiacorum/Wiesbaden. The Roman settlement is assumed
to be at the exit of the Merchinger Tal in the district of
Hangenfeld, since various Roman finds were made in the area where
the Ritzerbach flows into the Seffersbach.
Middle Ages
Charles the Bald gave the Merzig crown estate to the Archbishop of
Trier, Bertolf, on the occasion of his consecration as a bishop in
869. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the ministerial family of the
von Merzig served the Elector. The Archbishop of Trier had Vogtei
rights in Merzig. Merzig was divided into seven bailiwicks, "the
bailiwick" of the archbishop, the combined "Schultheiserei" with the
"Montclairer bailiwick", the "Rischerei", the "Mettlacher
bailiwick", the "Brückerei" and the "Propstei".
In the Merzig
district there is the deserted village of Wolkessen or Wolkesingen,
mentioned in 1337 in the documents of Mettlach Abbey. In the 11th
century, Merzig became the main town of the chapter of the same
name, to which 45 parishes belonged. From the 11th century, Merzig
was caught between the expanding powers of Electoral Trier and
Lorraine. In 1333, Trier was able to assert its rights with the
powerful Elector Baldwin against Duke Rudolf of Lorraine in the
men's court "zu den Bäumelen". prevail over Merzig. After the
strengthening of the Lorraine dynasty, a stalemate developed, and
from 1368 Merzig was administered jointly with the Merzig-Saargau
district of Electoral Trier and Lorraine.
Modern times
This condominium existed for about 400 years until 1778, from 1766
together with France, the legal successor of Lorraine. After the
division of the condominium, Merzig belonged to Electoral Trier
until 1794, but was soon occupied by the French revolutionary
troops. After the end of the French occupation in 1815, the new
Prussian Rhine Province was formed. It was not until May 25, 1857
that the Prussian king expressly recognized the city rights of the
city of Merzig.
The oldest known city map dates from 1617 and
shows the ownership situation within the city, in particular the
properties of the foreign bailiwicks (e.g. from Mettlach, Montclair,
Trier and the Propstei). This map also offers valuable insights into
the urban topography, because in addition to two bridges over the
Seffersbach, several mills are also marked, as well as meat stalls
at the market and the course of the street with numerous buildings
standing here.
In November 1944, two Allied air raids caused
considerable damage to people and property within the city area.[6]
While the November 17, 1944 air raid specifically targeted the
Merzig-Büschfeld railway line, killing 20 passengers on a passenger
train, the November 19, 1944 air raid targeted the city itself,
killing 61 and killing 320 of 1,352 buildings 10 percent, 832 up to
50 percent, 80 up to 70 percent, 53 up to 85 percent and 157 were
completely destroyed. In addition, various bridges were blown up by
the German side during the Second World War, including the railway
bridge on the Merzig-Bettsdorf railway line on September 3, 1939 and
three other railway bridges and four road bridges in 1944/45; a
pedestrian bridge was slightly damaged and three others badly
damaged. In addition, 473 dead and 200 missing were counted at the
end of the war.