Here the first more detailed section. Since it's not possible to keep the pictures in the text when sending it to the list, you may have a look at them on the following website : http://www.saarland.de/einblicke_landesgeschichte_4827.htm Barbara The Saarlands around 1835 The territory of the actual Saarland was divided in 3 parts 150 years ago the Saarland didn't exist - nor as political, nor as cultural or economic unity. The governments were outside and the area at the border with France was for them "province". - The biggest part of the actual Saarland belonged to Prussia, more exactly to the Prussian Rhineland, administrative area of Trier. - The second biggest part belonged to Bavaria, the Bavarian Rhine area (Rheinpfalz - Rhineland-Palatinate) with the siege of government in Speyer. - The littlest part belonged to Oldenburg, because the county of Birkenfeld was propriety of this great duchy. Between those areas there were still true customs at the borders before 1834. Only afterwards the barriers, the customs inspectors and the controls between Bavaria and Prussia disappeared; and only from 1851 on people were able to pass the border with Oldenburg without problem - on foot, on horse or horse cart. Technical innovations and the change of the supply of first materials and of energy gave to the industry strong impulsions to grow and offered to immigrants from the neighbouring areas new workplaces. In this way developed in the south point of the Prussian Rhine province and in the outmost west of the Bavarian Palatinate a coal and steel province with a particular character, which very soon found itself in the middle of the tensions between France and Germany. In the course of one century the industrial area and the settlements of its workers grew together to form a own area with a strong centre and, according to the political and economic events, changing borders. This process corresponds to the general knowledge about the strength of formation of economic factors for the creation of functional area units. Economic development - Industry and traffic develop The mines of the Saar put in service the newest invention of this time: the steam engine. The shaft exploitation took the place of the old gallery exploitation, and the need for workers grew - even with those innovations. Because the abolition of the customs borders between Bavaria and Prussia opened a new and important market for the coal of the Saar : South Germany. The steelworks worked also with the steam engine. With this they became independent from the water force and were able to choose freely their place of exploitation. Since the local iron mines run out, they took from then on their most important first materials from the Lahn. Instead of charcoal they now used coke - made with the coal of the Saar. The technical conditions were good, but the traffic conditions were bad. A solution to this problem arrived only with the "steam engine on wheels": the railway. 1849 was terminated the Palatinate Ludwigs railway going till the Bavarian border at Bexbach, 1851 the French east railway going from Paris through Metz to Forbach and Stieringen, 1852 was closed the gap through Saarbrücken via the valley of the Sulzbach. Near of the railway new mines and glass works were created - with a direct train connection. The industry of Burbach, founded in 1856, was able to use not only the Saar river but also the train for its transports. And when ten years later the Saar river was canalised the Saar area had even a connection to the French canal net. The popultion changes - Peasant become workers With the industrialisation began a true population migration. Poor peasants and artisans moved to the industrial area, others kept their houses in the country areas of the actual north Saarland, of the Hunsrück or in the west Palatinate. They lived the week over as "sleeper" in families or in the dormitories near of the mines. Not a few went on early Monday mornings on the "miners paths" to the mine (1875 more than a third, 1910 about a fifth). They walked ten, twenty, and sometimes even thirty kilometres to their workplaces. The inhabitants of the industrial area mocked them because of their rough shoes and because of the long way as "Hardfoots". Near of the mines, developed mine colonies, for example Altenkessel, Altenwald, Bildstock, Elversberg, Göttelborn, Heiligenwald, Heinitz and Herrensohr. The mining administration constructed since the end of the 19th century some settlements of rented houses and gave rewards for the construction of "Premium houses" - until the first world war eight thousand. Many miners had also a little agricultural exploitation. They became "mining peasants" and exploited with their families fields and gardens; they also kept some useful animals - and even if it was only a goat it was the "miners' cow".