"Have you ever been to a former and a present steel works on one site? Völklingen offers fascinating tech world, old and new, with the UNESCO world heritage Alte Völklinger Hütte and the active Saarstahl works nearby in easy walking distance from the Café Umwalzer. The Völklingen location is a must for visitors to Central Europe, offering industrial history and present high-tech steel production at its best. Umwalzer is set in one of steelworks' elder buildings which were converted to cultural use. I visited the active steelworks some years ago on invitation with a guided tour, and keep visiting the heritage site including the café for many years now. Umwalzer is a good space to sit and talk, fit for singles, couples, friends, family and business people alike. Nice meeting point before or after a visit to an exhibition in this and other converted buildings nearby, or else for the rarer treat of pre-arranged visits to the Saarstahl steelworks. The Umwalzer staff is nice and helpful; while the menu is in German and French i.e. the main languages of the border region, in the Saarland there is usually someone around who speaks some English. As for Umwalzer's food, I suggest you try regional Saarlandish dishes such as "Gefillde" literally translated "Filled Ones", meaning meat-filled potato dumplings in a rich meat&cream sauce with some Sauerkraut providing a Vitamin C-charged side dish - warms you up in winter like nothing else. Another regional favourite is "Lyoner", in this case a whole ring of this cooked meat speciality served in two variants, namely heated in hot water or grilled over charcoal. "Ringel" is an endearing regional term for "ring", since a Ringel Lyoner may actually weigh up to almost a kilo. But fear not, restaurants usually serve smaller Ringel of some 250-350g while these filling enough at that, since this dish is traditionally served with crisp chipped potatoes and salad. As for other German cuisine, there are Schnitzel variants available. Equally salads with and without meat in international and regional versions, including Salade Nicoise and Italian Salad. If you prefer vegetarian food or have kids fancying pasta over everything else, the choice is less varied yet you will find something for yourself and them. - Have a good time in our Saarland which I have shown to many people before. One big proviso for UK and US visitors, however: No EU-bashing if you want Saarlanders to like you. We enjoy having guests since we are a heart of Europe industry and holiday region, whether you prefer tech sites like Völklingen or watching the wildlife, or rather fancy peaceful rambling across miles of lovely hills and romantic dales. Many landscape forms are within closest range imaginable, and enough fun to enjoy during ten holidays. No matter whether you want to be lazy and eat very well on a budget, or fill yourself with culture on historical sites by the dozen, see art exhibitions, hear classical & jazz concerts, visit cinemas and galleries, or whether you want to exhaust yourself in sport & adventure, including riding, biking, climbing, motocross, canoeing and flying. Make sure you stay long enough for a day trip to our lovely neighbouring regions: Lorraine (F), Luxemburg, the Ardenne Mountains (B), the Palatinate (D), Baden (D) and the Alsace (F)."
