10 reasons to love Germany's Saarland region

The first place to visit is the Old Town center. In the 18th century, the prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken expanded the town as a Baroque royal seat. The Baroque church known as the Ludwigskirche is a particular gem, and it's the state capital's main landmark.

Excellent cycling and hiking trails run along the banks of the river that gave its name to the state. They offer fascinating views of the landscape, like this one of the Saar Loop, a U-shaped bend in the river near Mettlach, pictured here in the morning mist.

If you enjoy hiking, you'll find Saarland a very rewarding place to be. Sixty trails crisscross the state, through widely diverse natural surroundings. The Saar-Hunsrück Climb is especially popular. A few years ago it was voted Germany's most beautiful hiking trail.

For about 250 years, Saarland was dominated by the steel and coal industries. They became unprofitable in the 1980s, when numerous mines and smelting plants were closed down. Nowadays you can tour many of them. The best-known is the Völklingen Ironworks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

The people of the Saarland region have been inventive when it comes to finding alternative uses for their old factories. There's a lively arts and culture scene that turns them into venues for concerts, parties and exhibitions — such as the Urban Art Biennale, an internationally renowned street art exhibition at the Völklingen Ironworks.

The Bliesgau region is one of 16 German UNESCO biosphere reserves. It's also called the "Tuscany of the Saarland." Fields, forests, orchards, pastures and meadows dominate the area, which is marked by a high degree of biodiversity and a close coexistence between town and country.

Many organic ingredients from the Bliesgau region serve as the base for Saarland's cuisine. The choice ranges from hearty local dishes to sophisticated culinary fare. The influence of neighboring France is clearly evident in the mixture of flavors and styles here, where the most important thing is to enjoy your food, whatever its origins.

In the town of Homburg, you can see Europe's largest human-made multicolored sandstone caves. The domed ceilings of these subterranean caverns, which lie under the ruins of Hohenburg Castle, shimmer in a wide array of reds and yellows. The caves reach down 12 stories and were originally created to mine quartz and sandstone.

Even the imperial Romans found the Saarland fascinating and left their traces on the banks of the Saar. The Borg Roman Villa Archaeology Park in Perl, for instance, is a first century-AD Roman villa reconstructed from excavations.

Many vacationers go to Bostalsee, an artificial lake in northeastern Saarland near Sankt Wendel, to swim, fish, surf and camp in the great outdoors. There's a recreation park complex on its shores with holiday homes and a tropical indoor swimming pool. The lake itself was created in 1979.