The Saarland, an INTERNATIONAL BORDERLAND

54 Erdkunde Band XV The Saarland,AN INTERNATIONAL BORDERLAND Social Geography from Field Study of nine Border Villagesl) with 8 Figures Robert S. Platt The Saarland, a small area of international been given to social aspects of occupance than to concern, has been studied previously by geogra the others and this is understandable: social geo ? phers from various viewpoints physical, cul graphy is not a highlydeveloped branchof field tural, economic, political2). Less attention has research; social order is less obviously connected with the natural and the cultural landscape than are economic and political features; social pheno J) Herbert Lehmann was responsible at the opening mena are less to field observation and so for the field in this subject stage launching study represented pa more intimate A per. The author was first introduced to the natural and require inquiry. primary pur of this is to examine of cultural landscapes of middle Germany in field excursions pose study possibilities with Professor Lehmann and seminar sessions at the Geo field investigation in social geography and parti Institute of the Frankfurt am graphical University, Main, cularly to consider an areal pattern of social in 1951, 1952 and 1953. order in association with patterns of economic The specific study of the Saarland here presented was a and order within a of nature made possible by Fulbright Research Grant in the Fede political background ral Republic of Germany under the auspices of the Geo and culture. graphical Institute of the University of the Saarland. Reconnaissance of the area has taken account Acknowledgements are due to Prof. Dr. Carl Rathjens, Di of the general patterns indicated here in two rector of the Geographical Institute; and also to Dr. Henri sketch Detailed has Hiegel of Sarreguemines, Dr. Gotz and Herren Adam, maps (Figures 1?2) study Werner and Lauer, Statistisdies Amt des Saarlandes; covered nine villages (Fig. 1) selected in view to Herrn Schmittbauer, Stadt-Bucherei, Saarbriicken; and of the distribution of settlement, the localization and tavern parish priests, teachers, burgomasters keepers of the subdivision of the in the nine For assistance in the field thanks are industry, political area, villages. and the natural and cultural features of the land due to Dr. Friedrich Fischer, Manfred Dewes, Josef Klein are and Manfred Schonsiegel of the Geographical Institute, scape. The villages viewed particularly with to Gates University of the Saarland; Margaret and Kay respect to their social order as component and to Platt. For assi of Seattle, Washington; and Harriet units into the whole com stance after field thanks are due to Prof. Dr. Wil representative fitting study of areal a of helm Groteluschen of Oldenburg. The original sugge plex patterns, geographic synthesis stion for the study came from United World Federalists. elements outlined briefly in the following para and sketch 2) See P. Vidal de la Blache, et L. Gallois: Le Bassin graphs accompanying maps. de la Sarre, Paris 1920. F. Das seine seine Kloevekorn, Saargebiet, Struktur, Regional Structure of the Saarland Saarbriicken 1929. Probleme, The Saarland is a German state on O. Rixecker: Die Bevolkerungsverteilung im Saargebiet. bordering Diss., Berlin 1930. France, in transition at the time of this study an der A. Schorr: Zur Soziologie der Industriearbeiter (1958?1959) from postwar association with Saar. Diss., 1930. Hamburg France to full incorporation into Germany. This H. Overbeck and G. W. Sante: Saaratlas, Gotha 1934. and piece of territory, parts R. Capot-Rey: La Region Industrielle Sarroise, Paris irregular complex 1934. of several regions and landscapes, has emerged L. Martin: ?Kulturgeographische Untersuchungen in only recently as a distinct and definitely recogni und im in: Deutsch-Lothringen Saargebiet", Forschungen zed unit and its present form has appeared only Zur Landes- und vol. 30 Deutschen Volkskunde, (1934), since the Second World War. pp. 255?382. The area consists of a mid-section of the K. Pauli: Der Arbeiterbauer im Saarland. Wurzburg 1939. Saar Valley from Sarreguemines to Mettlach. C. C. Held: Political Geography of the Saarland, Clark University 1950. Saar-Nahe-Raumes. Rhein. Vierteljahresblatter 1953. F.Roy: Le Mineur Sarroix. Paris 1954. H. Overbeck: ?Das Industriegebiet an der mittleren L. Champier: ?La Sarre, Essai d'Interpretation Geopoli Saar". Geogr. Taschenbuch 1956/57, S. 351?364. 4 zur tique", in: Annales Universitatis Saraviensis, vol. (1955), F.Fischer: ?Beitrage Morphologie des Flufisystems pp. 3?74. der Saar", in: Arbeiten aus dem Geographischen Institut, H. Overbeck: ?Die Stellung und natiirliche Einordnung Universitat des Saarlandes, vol. 2 (1957), pp. 3?92. der Lande an der mittleren Saar", in: Geographische Rund H. Ried: ?Die Siedlungs- und Funktionsentwicklung der aus schau, vol. 8 (1956), pp. 1?8. Stadt Saarbriicken", in: Arbeiten dem Geographischen 3 H. Overbeck: Der kulturgeographische Bedeutungswan Institut, Universitat des Saarlandes, vol. 3 (1958), pp. 185. del am Beispiel der Kulturlandschaftsgeschichte des Mosel bis Robert S. Piatt: The Saarland: An international borderland 55 considered to be old in itself. The core of it was a domain of the Counts of Saarbriicken, with their castle overlooking the Saar. This was con solidated as a compact body of land and, after the Reformation, became distinguished as a small domain of Lutheranism standing between the Berg-und KUgXlandl J^lt larger Catholic units of Lorraine to the south and Trier to the northwest, and the Calvinistic Pala tinate to the east. - But the modern Saarland is the expression of _\y\ .?e -tLJ \ ^afy Berg-u.HOaetgnd Jm4u \ von St. IngbfiFt a different phenomenon, associated only fortuit <<uj. Escarpments of Lorraine ? AT^S>^ v>*JX/jMT. internationalboundary t ously and in part with the old domain of Saar MM Saarlandboundary E^ ^jJ^Nl^^^^Hesfi ^Nl^HT i^^^B J / briicken: This new domain is the coal mining and Samplevillage t d?^^***^ wJM^L**JP*\ \ ?- * ap 3Pkm heavy manufacturing district of the Saar, and \ the surrounding area from which labor is drawn area was as a Figure 1: Some Elements of Nature. (Figure 2). This originally created when it was under French Sample villages: 1. Grofirosseln, 2. Petite Rosselle, 3. Hab special region, put kirchen, 4. Frauenberg, 5. Perl, 6. Apach, 7. Schengen, supervision, after the First World War, within 8. 9. Gimbweiler. Wolfersweiler, the frame of the League of Nations, and again after the Second World War, within the frame of the Council. As French To the west it extends the Triassic lime European supervision upon extended over areas on both sides of the stone of the to the southwest adjacent plateau Niedgau, not on the side toward France but the Buntsandstein of the Warndt Saarland, only upon upland also in the French zone of the and in the south to the a beyond Germany, by Bliesgau, strongly boundaries were set and re-set wherever and dissected limestone To the northeast the plateau. whenever seemed desirable. Thus Saarland into the basins of the tributaries changes casually expands the Saarland was the form which it now has Prims and Blies and of the Nahe river. given upper and which seems even as it to Here we have in succession from SSE to NNW acceptable changes become a German state, the tenth in the Federal the sandstone upland of St. Ingbert, the Carboni Republic. ferous highland of the Saarkohlenwald, and the Saar-Nahe hill country, the latter consisting of Pattern of the Economy of the Saarland Lower Permian strata and stretching to the south ern edge of theHunsriick (Figure 1). The area now defined as the Saarland was Geologically and geomorphologically the Saar transformed in the latter part of the 19th century land on eastern Lor is situated the fringe of the from a rural district (or parts of several districts) raine cuesta The eastern most landscape. escarp of farmlands and woodlands spreading over hills ment of Lorraine i. e. is (Triassic, 'Muschelkalk') and valleys in a landscape pattern unlimited by western within its border (Figure 1). political boundaries, to a well defined industrial the Saarland is within the old area Culturally district of two axes and the supporting area of German and culture which extends language occupied by miners and factory workers (Figure2). from on into Lorraine to the southwest Germany The two axes are those of the Saar Valley from to west. and Luxemburg the Within this general southeast to northwest, and across this the coal culture-area several subdivisions cut across the basin, in which carboniferous rocks are exposed Saarland without corre showing any consistent in an anticline plunging from northeast to south to boundaries ? sub spondence present political west beneath the last outlying escarpment of divisions of local dialects, of house types, and Lorraine. other local subdivisions less well which defined, Population has become concentrated along the date from former cultural associations with abutt two axes. Villages have grown into towns, and ing territories: the electorate of Trier, Lorraine Saarbriicken, at the fulcrum of the two axes, has and the Palatinate3). grown into a modern city. Meanwhile people The modern territorial unit some roots has old have continued to live also in villages at a dis so prominent and well known that it is sometimes tance from the coalfield and the river, and to commute to work in mines and factories by all available means of transportation over a devel 3) Dialects of the regions of Trier, of the Palatinate as system of and motor roads. Farm and of Alsace; such house types Einhaus, Gruppenhaus, oped railways etc. K. Hoppstadter fields have become and idle and K. Mathias: Siedlungskunde part-time gardens des Saarlandes, Wiebelskirchen/Saar 1957. lands. Farm houses have become workers' dwel 56 Erdkunde Band XV Figure 2: New Pattern of Economic Order. some Other categories of bus lines in the Saarland not shown; categories of manufacturing, mainly non-metal, not included.

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