One of Europe’s core regions.

“The Saarlanders show us by their example how it is possible to be a good Saar-lander, a good German, a good European and a good neighbor all at the same time.” Thus the former Federal President Richard von Weizsacker characterized the people of the Saar. The Saarland in Germany, Lorraine in France, and Luxembourg - often referred to by the abbreviation “Saar-Lor-Lux” - are developing ever closer ties, not least as a result of extensive new transportation projects. Traditional branches of industry of supraregional importance are glass and ceramics as well as mechanical engineering, metal processing and chemicals.

The Saarland has also developed a sophisticated research sector. Future-oriented areas of emphasis include information and communications technologies, materials research, electronics, production technologies and medical technology. Numerous top-notch university and university-affiliated institutes form the interface between research and practical applications: the Max Planck Institute for Computers, for example, as well as the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence, the Fraunhofer Institute for Non-Destructive Testing, the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Technology, the Institute for Information Sys-terns and the world-famous Institute for New Materials.