Your Saarburg city experience

Due to its hillside location, Saarburg is divided into an Upper Town and a Lower Town. The best place to start your stroll through the town is in the town centre, which is situated in the Upper Town. Follow the wide course of the Leukbach stream to the waterfall, which plunges almost 20 metres into the depths. In the Middle Ages, the stream was deliberately diverted through the town to harness its water power. This also ensured a supply of water for firefighting in the event of a blaze.

At the waterfall, you’ll see two mills: below the waterfall is the Hackenberger Mill with its mill museum, and right next to the waterfall is the former electoral mill, which now houses the Amüseum Municipal Museum. The Amüseum showcases traditional Saarburg crafts, the oldest turbine still in operation, and contemporary art. There is also a unique mixed-reality experience: using modern virtual-reality headsets, you can follow the water’s journey from the waterfall right through to its conversion into electrical energy. This combines technical knowledge with immersive imagery, highlighting the central role that hydropower has always played for the town.

The lower town of Saarburg, ‘Staden’, developed from an old fishing and boatmen’s settlement right on the banks of the Saar. In some places, you can still see old trade symbols above the doorways: fish and anchors. 

Another tip: visit the Saarburg Wine Promenade.

When you’re in Staden, you really must visit the KulturGießerei Saarburg! Founded in 1770, the family-run Mabilon company produced bells for almost three centuries, which were shipped all over the world. The museum has an interactive focus and is also part of the KulturGießerei socio-cultural centre, which provides a lovely setting for cultural events.

If you walk up from the waterfall over the Schlossberg to the castle, you’ll pass the Haus Warsberg, which now houses the municipal administration offices. Right next to it is a lovely spot to stop and catch your breath: the so-called Landratsgarten. Terraced gardens with seating areas are arranged around the 19th-century Belvedere viewing tower.

Towering above the town are the ruins of Saarburg Castle, one of the oldest hilltop castles in western Germany and once the seat of a great knightly family (built in 964). Its builder, Count Siegfried of Luxembourg, also founded the city of Luxembourg and laid the foundations for the Grand Duchy. In the 14th century, Saarburg Castle passed into ecclesiastical ownership and, for a time, became the favoured residence of the Archbishops of Trier. Unfortunately, only ruins remain today, but you can still see the surrounding walls and the residential tower. Enjoy the beautiful panoramic view of the Saar Valley.

The Churbelunpfad trail winds its way around the castle ruins and also offers lovely views.

For over 700 years, the miraculous image of a nursing Madonna has been venerated in Saarburg. You’ll find it in the pilgrimage church of St Mary’s in the Beurig district. Take a look at the altar of grace, donated in 1622, a masterpiece by Johannes Manternach. The crucifix altar is also well worth seeing – a beautiful example of late Renaissance art, also attributed to Manternach. 

Most pilgrimages to Beurig take place between May and September. The main pilgrimage day is the Sunday after 2 July, the Feast of the Visitation.

Saar Riesling wines are among the finest in the world and are characterised by their finesse and minerality. They are considered to have excellent ageing potential and often still surprise with their freshness even after decades.

At the Bonsai & Wein wine bar in Saarburg, you can sample wines from the Saar’s most renowned estates, such as Egon Müller-Scharzhof, Forstmeister Geltz-Zilliken, Dr Wagner, Stefan Müller, Van Volxem, Peter Lauer and von Othegraven.

If you time your trip to the Saar for the end of August, you’ll be able to enjoy a major wine-tasting event featuring numerous well-known Saar wineries: the SaarRieslingSommer. 

Just under 10 km from Saarburg, an architectural gem of the Romantic era awaits you: the Klause Kastel in Kastel-Staadt. It is situated high above the River Saar on a rugged sandstone cliff and offers a beautiful view down into the valley. It was built to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, the famous painter and architect of the German Romantic period. The high plateau of Kastel-Staadt is a very picturesque spot with a fascinating history. Initially, the Treveri, a Celtic tribe, established a large, town-like settlement here. Following the Roman conquest of the region, a vast temple complex was built, of which the remains of a cult theatre are still preserved. Explore the structure using augmented reality with the ARGO-FreeApp.

From the visitor car park, you’ll first come to the medieval parish church of St John the Baptist, which once belonged to a village that was abandoned long ago. From there, you’ll reach not only the Kastel Hermitage but also a large memorial cemetery for those who fell in the Second World War. From the Memorial Cross, you’ll have a superb view of the Saar Valley.

Just under 4 km past Kastel-Staadt, you’ll come across another castle ruin: Freudenburg. 

It was built by the same King John of Bohemia, for whose burial the Kastel Hermitage was later erected. The castle was originally part of a defensive belt designed to counter the expansionist ambitions of the ambitious Elector Balduin of Trier. It is perched on a rocky outcrop and, viewed from above, resembles the bow of a ship. A historic circular walk takes you around the castle grounds and the old village centre of the village of the same name. Using the ARGO FreeApp’s augmented reality feature, you can see what the Freudenburg looked like before its destruction. 

The ‘König-Johann-Runde’ side trail of the Moselsteig connects the historic castle complex with varied landscapes, numerous views, sandstone cliffs and the ‘Eiderberg’ nature reserve.