Saarlouis (district)

Statistics
State:	Saarland
Capital:	Saarlouis[?]
Area:	459.08 km²
Inhabitants:	211,393 (2002)
pop. density:	460 inh./km²
Car identification:	SLS
Homepage:	http://www.kreis-saarlouis.de
Map

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

Table of contents showTocToggle("show","hide") 1 History 2 Geography 3 Coat of arms 4 Towns and municipalities 5 External links

History

The biggest part of the district was part of the French duchy Lorraine, including the city Saarlouis which was build to protect the border. After the napoleonic wars the area went to Prussia, who in 1816 created the district as part of their Rhineland province. From 1936-1945 it was called Saarlautern, when the Nazi government tried to exchange the French name to a German one.

Geography

The main river in the district is the Saar[?].

Coat of arms

The checked black-and-white top part of the coat of arms is taken from the coat of the Hohenzollern, to remember that the area belonged to the German Empire (which was ruled by the Hohenzollern dynasty) directly. The bottom part is the coat of arms of the Lorraine, as Saarlouis belonged to Duchy of Lorraine 1100-1766. The star stands for the French fortress of Saarlouis, the origin of the city, which was build in a star form. The fleur-de-lis comes from the coat of arms of the city Saarlouis.

Towns and municipalities

Dillingen[?] Lebach[?] Saarlouis[?]

Municipalities Bous[?] Ensdorf[?] Nalbach[?] Rehlingen-Siersburg[?] Saarwellingen[?]

Schmelz[?] Schwalmbach[?] Überherrn[?] Wadgassen[?] Wallerfangen[?]

External links

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