Sarre

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

a river rising in the Vosges mo mountains and after flowing northwest, emptying into the Moselle, a few miles above Treves. Of its entire length of 152 miles, about 54 miles are navigable to Sarrebruck and about 20 miles more to Sarreguemines by means of a system of locks. The middle course of the river is connected with the Rhine- Marne canal through the Sarre canal. The valley of the Sarre is famous for its wines. The adjacent territory contains extremely rich coal deposits. The river formerly was in German territory, but as a result of the Peace Treaty of Versailles, all of it, with the exception of the last 20 miles, is now under French control. See BASIN. SARRE (German, Saar) BASIN, a coal mining region on both sides of the Sarre river, forming part of the Prussian province of Rhenish Prussia and of the Bavarian Palatinate. Its area is approximately 751 square miles and it has a population of 657,870. The more important towns are Forbach, Sarrebruck, St. Ingbert, Sulzbach, Neunkirchen, Puttlingen, and Sarrelouis. The region is of great industrial importance on account of its rich coal mines. The political importance of the district is due primarily to the provisions regarding it contained in the Versailles Peace Treaty. In payment for the destruction of coal mines in northern France and as payment on account of reparations, Germany ceded the mines to France, the territory to be governed by a commission for fifteen years. For the provisions of the treaty see TREATIES OF VERSAILLES AND ST. GERMAIN ("The Sarre").