# Homburg, Saarland

Homburg (German pronunciation: ; French: Hombourg,; Palatine German: Humborch) is a town in Saarland, Germany and the administrative seat of the Saarpfalz district. With a population of 43,029 inhabitants (2022), it is the third largest town in the state. The city offers over 30,000 workplaces. The medical department of the University of Saarland is situated here. The city is also home to the Karlsberg beer brewery. Major employers include Robert Bosch GmbH, Schaeffler Group and Michelin.

## Geography

Homburg is located in the northern part of the Saarpfalz district, bordering Rhineland-Palatinate. It is 16 km from Neunkirchen and 36 km from Saarbrücken.
The city districts are situated in the Blies valley or on its tributaries Erbach, Lambsbach and Schwarzbach.
Homburg is composed of Homburg center and nine city districts: Beeden, Bruchhof-Sanddorf, Einöd, Erbach, Jägersburg, Kirrberg, Reiskirchen, Schwarzenbach and Wörschweiler.
Einöd includes: Einöd, Ingweiler and Schwarzenacker; Jägersburg includes Jägersburg, Altbreitenfelderhof and Websweiler; Erbach includes Erbach, Lappentascherhof and Johannishof.

## Demographics

Actual (as of 1 August 2022):
| Village | District | Population |
| Altbreitenfelderhof | Jägersburg | 120 |
| Beeden | Homburg Center | 2,714 |
| Bruchhof | Homburg Center | 1,818 |
| Einöd | Einöd | 2,749 |
| Erbach | Homburg Center | 12,352 |
| Homburg | Homburg Center | 12,058 |
| Ingweiler | Einöd | 158 |
| Jägersburg | Jägersburg | 2,755 |
| Kirrberg | Kirrberg | 2,566 |
| Lappentascher Hof | Homburg Center | 191 |
| Reiskirchen | Homburg Center | 1,296 |
| Sanddorf | Homburg Center | 1,170 |
| Schwarzenacker | Einöd | 632 |
| Schwarzenbach | Homburg Center | 1,925 |
| Websweiler | Jägersburg | 263 |
| Wörschweiler | Wörschweiler | 262 |
| Total | | 43,029 |

## History

   County of Homburg 12th century–1449 County of Nassau-Saarbrücken 1449–1680 Kingdom of France 1680–1697 County of Nassau-Saarbrücken 1697–1755 Palatine Zweibrücken 1755–1793 French Republic 1793–1804 French Empire 1804–1815  Kingdom of Bavaria 1816–1871  German Empire 1871–1918 Territory of the Saar Basin 1920–1935  Nazi Germany 1935–1945 Saar Protectorate 1947–1956  West Germany 1957–1990  Germany 1990–present
Hohenburg Castle, nowadays a ruin, was the seat of the counts of Homburg in the 12th century. In 1330 the village received town status (Stadtrecht) from Louis the Bavarian.

## Politics

Since the administration reform 1974 Homburg has a Lord Mayor, before that it used to have a Mayor.
Rüdiger Schneidewind (SPD) has been Lord Mayor of Homburg since October 1, 2014.

## Main sights

* Schlossberg Caves
* Louisenthal Castle
* Karlsberg Castle
* Wörschweiler Abbey

## Transport

Homburg (Saar) Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in the town, served by long-distance and regional trains. By road transport, the town is served by the motorways A6 (exit Homburg) and A8 (exits Limbach and Einöd).

## Notable people

* Horst Ehrmantraut (born 1955), footballer
* Stefan Eck (born 1956), politician (former Tierschutzpartei, currently independent)
* Andreas Walzer (born 1970), cyclist
* Michael Jakosits (born 1970), sports shooter
* Markus Heitz (born 1971), fantasy author
* Timo Bernhard (born 1981), sports car racer
* David Bardens (born 1984), physician
* Laura Steinbach (born 1985), handball player
* Kelly Piquet (born 1988), Brazilian blogger and model

## Twin towns – sister cities

Homburg is twinned with:
* La Baule-Escoublac, France (1984)
* Ilmenau, Germany (1989)
* Albano Laziale, Italy (2018)