The Ludwigskirche, in the federal state of Saarland, Germany

 "It seems to me that if you were to take almost any half-century in history, you'd find a grand societal tug-of-war between the community and the individual." -- Lauren Groff

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(in Germany) Saarland, also called Saar, is a state that is bounded by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate to the north and east and by France to the south and southwest, and Luxembourg to the northwest. The heart of Saarland is an area of thickly forested hills that is crossed from southeast to northwest by the Saar River valley. This lowland is framed to the north by the edge of the Hunsrück highland and to the south by the French region of Lorraine. Saarland derives its name from the Saar River, whose banks are lined with sights to see, from its capital city of Saarbrücken (featured here) to the phenomenon of the sharp hairpin turn in the river known as the Saarschleife, or Saar Loop. The cultural influences of France and Luxembourg are reflected not only in Saarland's history but also in its cuisine. It is easy for visitors to relax in this area, far from mass tourism. Michelin-starred cuisine, a Franco-German way of life, and the world's first industrial UNESCO World Heritage site are the pride of this small, Francophile state. The first place to visit here is the Old Town center. In the 18th century, the prince of Nassau-Saarbrücken had the town expanded as a Baroque royal seat. The Baroque church known as the Ludwigskirche (depicted below) is a particular gem, and it's the state capital's main landmark. The territory around Saarbrücken, though inhabited by German-speaking people, was much influenced by France in the 150 years following the Peace of Westphalia (in 1648). Saar became a French province in 1684 under the Truce of Regensburg, but in 1697 France was forced to surrender most of Saar under the Treaty of Rijswijk. From 1792 to 1815 France again occupied Saar, together with the west bank of the Rhine. With the final defeat of Napoleon I in 1815, France was forced to cede most of Saar to Prussia. When Alsace-Lorraine was added to the German Empire in 1871, Saar experienced rapid industrial development based on its own coal deposits and the iron-ore deposits of Lorraine. After World War I, Saar’s coal mines were awarded to France, and Saarland was placed under the administration of the League of Nations for 15 years, at the end of which time a plebiscite resulted in its return to Germany. In 1945, French military forces occupied Saarland, and two years later the first Saar state parliament adopted a constitution that called for an autonomous Saar in an economic union with France. By 1954, however, France and the Federal Republic of Germany agreed to a statute that provided for Saar’s autonomy under a European commissioner. In a referendum that soon followed, Saar’s voters rejected that statute, and the French agreed to the return of Saar to West Germany, and on January 1, 1957, Saarland achieved its present status as a federal state of Germany.