In my lapse on Germany after finally coming on family visits we were base south of Trier and by car traveled all over the Western parts. One town caught the attention of my dear late wife Martine from brochures, this was Mettlach; the reason ,shopping !!!
I like the town for its quaint architecture, on the banks of the Sarre river, and the quaint restaurants around the main square on a hilly terrain down to the river. Of course, if you are into shopping of the good names at reduce prices then this is it for you!! My Martine love it!!!
Let me tell you a bit more on Mettlach, my previous touristic blog post is here: Mettlach in the Sarre of Germany
Mettlach is a municipality in the district of Merzig-Wadern in Saarland, approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of Merzig, and 30 km (19 mi) south of Trier. Here we took again the B51 south from Konz-Trier. Very nice picturesque road takes you right along the Sarre river entering town over the bridge on Von Boch Liebig Strabe(street).
A bit of history I like
Mettlach, formerly Mettloch, was a village and abbey in the Duchy of Lorraine, attached to the Diocese of Trier. The Abbey of Mettlach was founded in the 7C by Lutvin, who was the first abbot.
For those in the footing, there is a nice castle ruins outside of town. The Castle of Montclair is in ruins. At the Convention of 1778, it was recalled that, in accordance with what had already been stipulated in 1661, between France and the Elector of Trier(local govt at the time), the fort and Château de MontClair could never be relieved or reinstated. The way the tourist office has it, you go from the parking place at the Pfaffkirche in Mettlach, following “Tafeltour ” signs you will reach this picturesque small castle after about 3.5 km of walking. The Trail is quite steep, but it leads through beautiful woods with several viewing spots with benches where you can relax, if needed, so it is still enjoyable.
There is an opportunity for river cruising very popular here even if we had no time or no willingness to do so, it is here for information only.
Cruises on the Sarre river from Mettlach: https://www.saarflotte.de/english/return-excursions
The Church of Liutwinious name after the first abbot who founded it here is very quaint nice on a hilly plateau overlooking the city below, worth the climb.
Like I said, we came here for the shopping and the whole town seems to be gear for the factory outlet stores especially that of fame Villeroy & Boch! Here we took small plates and cups and went on to the others to get some more goodies always temptation abount here, the prices are right for the quality product, the places is picturesques and quaint old world ,and just dandy places to eat. A nice find indeed.
More info on the shopping below
Outlet factory store shopping in Mettlach: https://www.tourist-info.mettlach.de/de/outletshopping.html
Outlet factory shopping in English: http://www.mettlachoutletcenter.de/en.html
Villeroy & Boch in Mettlach: https://www.visitsaarland.co.uk/Media/Attractions/Villeroy-Boch
Official webpage Villeroy & Boch : https://www.villeroyboch-group.com/en/visitors-and-tourism/old-abbey-discovery-centre.html
Some additional webpages on tourist info to help you plan your trip here are
Tourist info city of Mettlach: https://www.mettlach.de/tourist-info/
Tourist info region of Sarre: https://www.visitsaarland.co.uk/Media/Cities/Mettlach
There you a nice spot indeed to spend a day of glorious shopping ,good food, and nice picturesques scenes on the Sarre river. Enjoy it
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 