Sarrebourg

Lines of communication and transport

Sarrebourg station has rail connections to Paris, Strasbourg, Metz and Nancy.

The commune is on the route of the Route nationale 4.

Sarrebourg is the departure point of several departmental roads: D 27 to Morhange, D 43 to Sarre-Union, D 44 to Le Donon and Schirmeck, D 45 to Dabo and Walscheid.

The agglomération de Sarrebourg has a public transport network called iSibus. It was inaugurated by the Communauté de communes de l'agglomération de Sarrebourg on 16 September 2009.^[3] The network has two regular bus connections.

Bicycle paths and walking trails

The EuroVelo 5 cycling route passes to the south of the municipality.^[4] It is possible to reach Strasbourg, via Lutzelbourg and Saverne, by following the Marne–Rhine Canal.

The old railroad tracks in the direction of Abreschviller and Troisfontaines have been converted into bicycle paths.^[4] Other bicycle paths have been created towards Bébing, Haut-Clocher and Sarraltroff.^[4]

The circulaire de la Sarre walking trail is located on the municipality territory.^[5]

The commune is the starting point of the GR 533 footpath.^[6]

Antiquity

The first mention of a settlement on the present site of Sarrebourg was found in the Tabula Peutingeriana. The town is referred to as Ponte Saravi,^[8] located between Ad Decem Pagos (Tarquimpol) and Tabernis (Saverne) on the edge of the Silva Vosagus, the present-day Vosges mountains

The Antonine Itinerary, a second, later Roman source, refers to the place as Ponte Sarvix.

From a toponymic aspect, the meaning of 'Ponte Saravi' and 'Ponte Sarvix' is "a bridge over the Saar". This is why scholars have named the ancient city of Sarrebourg "Pont de la Sarre", i.e. Pons - the Latin nominative for "bridge" - and Saravi - the Latin genitive of "Saravus", the name given by the Romans to the river that nowadays flows across the commune.

At that time, the town was located on the via salinensis,^[9] an important Roman road linking Divodurum (Metz) to Argentorate (Strasbourg) via the Saverne pass and part of the great itinerary from Gesoriacum (Boulogne-sur-Mer) to Argentorate (Strasbourg) via Samarobriva (Amiens) and Durocortorum (Reims).

The ancient town of Pons Saravi developed around the Sarre, thanks to a wooden bridge. It was of an estimated width of eight meters and connected the current halls to the street of the Lieutenant-Bildstein. Its last version was dated from 247 AD.^[10]

Medieval period

At the beginning of the Middle Ages, Sarrebourg was a fortified town, located on the edge of the Lorraine and Rhine regions. It became the centre of a territory on the fringes of the influence zones of the neighbouring Lorraine and Alsatian powers. The existence of a saroensis pagus has been documented since the end of the 7th century; at that time the city had, among other things, a mint workshop.^[11] The Treaty of Meerssen, which concluded in 870 the division of Lotharingie between Charles the Bald and Louis the Germanic, refers to the county Sarachuua subterior, also known as Oberer Saargau. The latter stretched from the springs of the Saar to Sarreguemines and Sarrebourg was its capital, however it quickly disappeared.

From the 12th century to the 15th century, Sarrebourg is governed by the Bishopric of Metz, which makes a Christianization zone facing Alsace. However, at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century, the Counts of Dabo and the Counts Palatine of Metz possessed Sarrebourg and the upper Saar valley. It was not until the death of Gertrude de Dabo and the extinction of the Dabo-Moha lineage that the bishops of Metz again exercised authority over the city.^[12] Between the 12th and 14th centuries, Sarrebourg underwent significant urban development. The city asserts itself as a commercial center and extends its influence on the surrounding countryside.^[12]

During this period, several religious buildings were created or developed. In 1173 the bishop of Metz established a hospice near the western gate of the city.^[13] In 1222 the management of this place and the leprosery of Hoff, was ensured by the Teutonic commandery. The latter had just settled near the market place, at the time.^[14] Bishop Jacques de Lorraine turned the church of Saint-Étienne into a collegiate church by installing a chapter of canons. In 1265-1266 Franciscan monks settled in Sarrebourg and built the chapel of the Cordeliers; between 1250 and 1276 the Dominican convent of Weyerstein was founded. On the military level, the bishop of Metz Jean d'Apremont undertook the consolidation of the city’s fortifications and the construction of new walls between 1230-1240 which would be completed by his successor Jacques de Lorraine.

Kauffmann Sarburg, the Burgundian wars and the integration into the Duchy of Lorraine

National necropolises

Sarrebourg includes the national necroplis of Sarrebourg - Buhl and the national necropolis of prisoners of war (1914 - 1918).

Green spaces, parks and forests

A large leisure area has been built around Lévêque Pond, an old gravel pit in the southwest of the city. It includes a supervised swimming area, a playground, a mountain bike track, a minigolf, sports fields, an arboretum and a hamlet of cottages. The aquatic centre and tennis club are also located next to the leisure area.^[19]

To the north-west lies the state forest of Sarrebourg.