Why Neunkirchen
Neunkirchen is the second-largest city in Saarland, Germany, and serves as the administrative seat of the Neunkirchen district. Home to around 50,000 residents, the town is located along the Blies River, roughly 20 kilometers northeast of Saarbrücken. Its name translates to "by the new church" rather than referencing nine churches.
Settlement in the area dates back to 700 BC, when early surface coal mining began. The oldest district, Wiebelskirchen, situated north of the city center, was first documented in 765 AD, while the name Neunkirchen appeared in records in 1281. The area was previously ruled by the principality of Nassau-Saarbrücken, which constructed two castles that no longer stand, though the remains of a renaissance castle form the foundation of a small park. The town, which received official town status in 1922, was once visited by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who recorded his observations of the local ironworks and castle.
For centuries, Neunkirchen’s economy depended heavily on coal extraction and steel manufacturing. The first ironworks opened in the Blies valley in 1593, and the von Stumm-Halberg family exerted significant political and industrial control over the ironworks starting in 1806. Heavy bombing during World War II destroyed roughly three-quarters of the city center in 1945 due to the central industrial facilities, leaving about a third of current structures dating from before 1945. Following the closure of the final underground coal mine in 1968 and most ironworks operations in 1982, the municipality adapted by shifting toward retail and service sectors, including building a large shopping mall on former industrial land.
Today, surviving portions of the historic steelworks have been restored as an industrial monument. This site accommodates a variety of leisure facilities, including small pubs, clubs, a movie theater, a McDonald's radio studio, and Germany's first Hooters restaurant.
Neunkirchen experiences an oceanic climate with an annual average temperature of 10.1 °C and around 871.1 millimeters of yearly precipitation, with December being the wettest month. July is typically the warmest month with averages around 18.9 °C, while January is the coldest at roughly 2.1 °C. Travelers can access the town by road via Bundesautobahn 8 and Bundesstraße 41, or by regional train services operated by Vlexx at the local station.
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