Saar River Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Saar - Sarre
River
Saar loop at Mettlach
Countries	France, Germany
Départments	Moselle, Bas-Rhin
Bundesländer	Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate

Tributaries
- left	Nied
- right	Blies, Prims


Primary source	Sarre Blanche
- location	Vosges Mountains, Grand Est, France
Secondary source	Sarre Rouge
Mouth	Moselle River
- coordinates	49°42′5″N 6°34′11″E / 49.70139°N 6.56972°E / 49.70139; 6.56972

Length	246 km (153 mi)
Basin	7,431 km² (2,869 sq mi)
Discharge	for the confluence with the Moselle River
- average	75 m³/s (2,649 cu ft/s)

The Saar (French: Sarre) is a river in northeastern France (Grand Est) and western Germany (Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate). It is a right tributary of the Moselle River. It rises in the Vosges Mountains in Grand Est and flows northwards into the Moselle near Trier.

The first written mention of the Saar, in Latin language as Saravus, is found in the poem Mosella by the Roman poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius.

Geography
Tributaries of the Saar
Towns along the river
Related pages
Images for kids
See also

Geography

Source of the Red Saar

Source of the White Saar

With a length of 246 km (153 mi), it is the largest tributary of the Moselle river. Its drainage basin has an area of approximately 7,431 km² (2,869 sq mi).

Course

The Saar river is born at the foot of Mont Donon, the highest peak of the northern Vosges Mountains. It flows first for about 126 km (78 mi) through the French region of Grand Est. The Saar marks the border between France and Germany for about 11 km (7 mi) from its confluence with the Blies, between the towns of Sarreguemines and Saarbrücken and goes into German territory.

Then the river flows about 68 km (42 mi) through the Saarland, and about 31 km (19 mi) through the Rhineland-Palatinate and, finally, flows into the Moselle at Konz between Trier and the Luxembourg border.

Upper Saar

The Sarre Rouge (Red Saar) and Sarre Blanche (White Saar) are considered as the two source rivers of the Saar.

The Red and the White Saar have their sources on Donon, less than 1 km (1 mi) distance apart. The source of the White Saar is near the town of Grandfontaine (Bas-Rhin department), and the source of the Red Saar is near the town of Abreschviller, (Moselle department). The confluence of the two rivers is near Hermelange (48°40′46″N 07°01′01″E / 48.67944°N 7.01694°E / 48.67944; 7.01694 (Hermelange)), south of Sarrebourg.

The confluence of the Red Saar (rear) and White Saar (under the bridge)

**Headwaters of the Saar**
	Discharge	Length	Watershed	Source height	Coordinates
Red Saar	1.86 m³/s	26.8 km	107.3 km²	785 m	48°32′4.3″N 07°2.7′0″E / 48.534528°N 7.04500°E / 48.534528; 7.04500 (Sarre Rouge)
White Saar	1.60 m³/s	26.6 km	80.4 km²	710 m	48°31′37″N 07°09′45″E / 48.52694°N 7.16250°E / 48.52694; 7.16250 (Sarre Blanche)

The Saar river, and its two source rivers, flow first through the Moselle department, in the Lorraine region; then, for a short distance, flow through the Bas-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region. From Sarrealbe to Sarreguemines, the Saar flows along the border with Germany. At Sarreguemines, the Blies river, the largest tributary of the Saar, flows into the Saar and its discharge rises from 20.9 m³/s to 41.5 m³/s.

Middle and lower Saar

From Sarreguemines, the Saar is navigable (it is deep, wide and slow enough for a ship to pass). Then the Saar gets into German territory forming a narrow valley through the western Rhenish Massif. At its beginning in this region, it forms the famous Saar loop (German: Saarschleife) at Mettlach.

After 246 km (129 km in France, and 117 km in Germany) the Saar flows into the Moselle river at Konz (Rhineland-Palatinate) between Trier and the Luxembourg border.

Grapes, to produce wine, are grown along the lower Saar, mainly between Serrig and Konz.

Tributaries of the Saar

Some of the important tributaries of the Saar are:

Left tributaries:

- Gondrexange; 19.3 km;
- Landbach; 18.1 km;
- Naubach; 23 km;
- L'Albe; 33.3 km;
- Rossel; 38 km;
- Bist; 26 km;
- Nied; 114 km.

Right tributaries

- Bièvre, 24.8 km;
- Isch; 27 km;
- Eichel, 32.4 km;
- Blies, 99.5 km;
- Prims, 91 km.

Towns along the river

View from Saarburg of the Saar

Some towns and cities found along the river are:

France	Départments	Towns and cities
	Moselle	Abreschviller (Sarre Rouge), Lorquin, Sarrebourg, Fénétrange
	Bas-Rhin	Sarre-Union
	Moselle	Sarralbe, Sarreguemines
Germany	Bundesländer	Towns and cities
	Saarland	Saarbrücken, Völklingen, Wadgassen, Bous, Saarlouis, Dillingen, Merzig
	Rhineland-Palatinate	Saarburg, Konz