It was a football game for the history books: On March 28, 1954, 53,000 spectators at Ludwigspark stadium in Saarbrücken watched Saarland battle West Germany to qualify for the Football World Cup, to be held in Switzerland.
Saarland, today firmly established as one of Germany’s 16 federal states, then had its own national football team. More than that: the population of about one million lived in their own country, with its own constitution, flag and currency, situated between Germany and France.
Saarland’s national team played against West Germany in a memorable soccer match in 1954Image: Ferdi Hartung/IMAGO
How did Saarland come to have this special status?
“It is its location on the border,” historian Gabriele Clemens told DW.
Saarland is in southwestern Germany, directly bordering France.
“It was a bone of contention between German territories and France for a long time. Between 1800 and 1950, the people of Saarland changed their nationality 5 times,” Clemens said.
In 1920, following World War I(1914-1918), the region was placed under the administration of the League of Nations; therefore, it was under international control. Victorious power France gained the right to exploit its rich coal deposits. In 1935, the population voted by a large majority to return to what had then become National Socialist Germany under dictator Adolf Hitler.
History repeated itself following World War II (1939-1945): Occupying power France took control. However, this time, it wanted to get a hold on the Saarland population for the long term. From 1947, Saarland was a semi-autonomous state under French influence.
Saarland: region of beautiful landscapes
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Highly emotional: The 1955 referendum
Some Saarland residents saw that as an opportunity for a new beginning, European unity and lasting peace. But many felt culturally and linguistically German. In 1955, it came to a referendum on the so-called Saar Statute. Should Saarland retain its special status? Or become part of West Germany, which at the time was experiencing its “economic miracle”?
“The arguments in the run-up to the vote were conducted with great emotion and sometimes also with violence,” historian Clemens said. “Today, if you speak with an 80-year-old who experienced that time, they can still remember very well the propaganda from both sides. It was highly emotional.”
With a majority of about 68%, the Saarland population decided to join the Federal Republic of Germany. On January 1, 1957, Saarland officially became part of Germany. With this, the “Saar question” was resolved and an obstacle on the path of Franco-German friendship was removed.
At the celebration in the state theatre in Saarbrücken, then-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer said: “The Saarland population, France and Germany have shown how it is possible to resolve conflicts which at first seem unresolvable — on the basis of human rights, free self-determination and in the spirit of peace and reconciliation.”
Chancellor Konrad Adenauer came to Saarland to celebrate its reunification with West Germany in 1957Image: dpa/picture alliance
A look to the East
In view of this “small reunification,” Adenauer turned his attention to the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany: “I am not giving up hope that resolutions are also possible in the East,” he said.
But it took more than 30 years for reunification between West- and East Germany to happen.
The “small reunification” of Saarland and the Federal Republic of Germany often seems to have been forgotten today.
“However, here in the region it is very present, very well remembered,” Clemens said. The tumultuous history has shaped the region’s sense of identity. “Previously, the Saarland population had also belonged to Prussia and Bavaria. And it was only through this two-fold separation following the First and Second World Wars that Saarland became what it is.”
That is: a symbol of European Unity. Many Saarland residents speak fluent French. On weekends, French people come to the state capital Saarbrücken to shop. During the week, about 275,000 people cross international borders on their commute to work in Saarland and the surrounding regions, more than anywhere else in the European Union.
Industrial history
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Structural change: Coal and steel under pressure
“Saarland’s big problem is the economy,” historian Clemens said. Its coal and steel industries have been increasingly under pressure from international competition since the 1960s. Saarland’s last mining operation was closed in 2012.
“What is increasingly emerging as an alternative is education, research and technology transfer,” Clemens said. “Pharmaceuticals and medical technology are very strong. I think that is where the future lies. However, they do not employ as many people as once worked in the mines.”
Today, Saarland has become “a completely normal part of Germany,” Clemens said. The soccer match of 1954 remains a reminder that its people could have chosen a completely different path — as their own small country. By the way, the Saarland team held its own against the West German favorites but ultimately lost 1-3 and did not qualify for the World Cup.
The Federal Republic of Germany became the football world champions in Bern three months later.
This article was originally written in German.
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