Diefflen (pronounced: Dieflen, in the local, Moselle-Franconian dialect Dejfeln) is a district of Dillingen/Saar in the district of Saarlouis (Saarland) and has about 4700 inhabitants. It is located on the lower Prims, a tributary of the Saar.Martin Born: Geographische Landeskunde des Saarlands, Saarbrücken 1980, S. 14, 24–30, 38–39. Since its foundation in the High Middle Ages Diefflen was historically linked to the villages of the former "Hochgericht Nalbacher Tal". This association was broken when Diefflen was incorporated into the city of Dillingen/Saar in 1969.Georg Colesie: Geschichte des Nalbacher Tales, Eine saarländische Heimatgeschichte, 2. Auflage, Nalbach 1990, S. 245.
Geography
Physical-geographic classification Diefflen is assigned to the foreland of Hunsrück and thus to the Saar-Nahe Hills and the Lorraine-Cuesta, the easternmost limb of the Paris Basin.
Geological-geomorphological situation
The geological underground of Diefflen is the middle Buntsandstein. The Buntsandstein, is the oldest stone package of the Triassic and the outermost edge of the Paris basin. The petrographic nature of the Buntsandstein in Diefflen is medium to sandy to ensure a free circulation of groundwater. The Buntsandstein is therefore an important groundwater carrier, which has high storage capacity for water like a giant sponge. He is reddish colored and fossil-free. This indicates that it originated under continental conditions as a deposit in shallow river valleys or in shallow lakes. The climatic conditions of its formation time about 220 million years ago are comparable to today's dry-subtropical climate.Heinz Quasten: Naturräumlicher Abriß (sic), in: Fred Oberhauser: Das Saarland, Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte im Dreiländereck zwischen Blies, Saar und Mosel (Dumont-Kunstreiseführer), Köln 1992, S. 340–353, hier S. 345.
The Buntsandstein weathered to nutrient-poor, light sandy soils, which are not favorably for an agricultural use and remained largely forested in the history. In contrast to the forest stands on the basic soils of Muschelkalk (Saargau), the soils of the Buntsandstein are rather acidic, so that hornbeams and noble deciduous trees settle less strongly. Instead, birches and pines also appear. Characteristic of the lower forest layers is an oak mixed forest with beech, with the beech gaining the upper hand in increasing altitude. The closeness of the forest was broken up there by man, where the Buntsandstein stain-like younger, tertiary sediments, such as the flooded clay were stored. This happened down to the geological present on either side of the lower valley of the Prims.Heinz Quasten: Naturräumlicher Abriß (sic), in: Fred Oberhauser: Das Saarland, Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte im Dreiländereck zwischen Blies, Saar und Mosel (Dumont-Kunstreiseführer), Köln 1992, S. 340–353, hier S. 346–347.
To a lesser extent the Buntsandstein is openly visible in Diefflen; to a much greater extent it is covered by the Pleistocene and Holocene deposits of Saar and Prims, which originally flowed here. These deposits belong to a large area of sedimentation, which is triangular in plan. The key points can be described for example by the location of the places Saarlouis, Beckingen and Bilsdorf. Diefflen as part of the Saarland was never glaciated during the ice ages. However, Saar and Prims were only able to transport their material for removal, which fell in large quantities under the climatic conditions of the cold ages, so that it was accumulated on wide valley floors. During the intermediate warm periods, Saar and Prims each cut back into their old valley floors.Heinz Quasten: Naturräumlicher Abriß (sic), in: Fred Oberhauser: Das Saarland, Kunst, Kultur und Geschichte im Dreiländereck zwischen Blies, Saar und Mosel (Dumont-Kunstreiseführer), Köln 1992, S. 340–353, hier S. 352–353.
The sedimentation area and the underlying subsoil have been altered during the Quaternary by the forces of weathering and erosion. This ultimately led to the area being characterized on the one hand by horizontal surfaces and on the other by slopes. The areas are represented as the banks of the river terraces dated from the Pre-Mindel glaciation to the Würm glaciation, and as the leveling of the floodplain of the Prims. The slopes include the flanks of larger and smaller valleys and the walls of young erosion gorges ("Gräthen"). The areas are proportionally the dominant spatial element; their share amounts to about four-fifths. Diefflen is divided into three zones: the floodplain as part of the lower valley of the Prims, the hillside- and gorges-zone and the plateau of the "Dieffler Terrassenplatten".
Neighboring communities The municipality of Diefflen adjoins the following municipalities:Kurt Hoppstädter: Die Wappen des Saarlandes, Teil 1, hrsg. v. Historischer Verein für das Saarland e. V. in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Archiv der Regierung des Saarlandes, Saarbrücken, 1953/1954, S. 99 (Anhang Verwaltungskarte des Saarlandes, Regierung des Saarlandes, Ministerium für Finanzen und Forsten, Abt. Kataster- und Vermessungswesen, Ausgabe 1954).
North = Municipality of Beckingen (Part of town: Beckingen) Northwest = City of Dillingen/Saar (Part of town: Pachten, Part of town: Pachtener Heide) Northeast = Municipality of Nalbach (Part of town: Bierbach/Ziegelei) East = Municipality of Nalbach (Part of town: Nalbach) Southeast = Municipality of Saarwellingen (Part of town: Saarwellingen) Southwest = City of Dillingen/Saar (Part of town: Dillingen-City centre) South = City of Saarlouis (Part of town: Roden (Saar))
Diefflen is about 10 km from the French border. It is located about 65 km from Luxembourg City, 55 km from Metz and Trier and 30 km from Saarbrücken and it is directly adjacent to the urban area of Saarlouis.
Mayors Mayors of the municipality of Diefflen until the incorporation to Dillingen:Scherer, Alois: Dieffler Geschichten, Diefflen, wie es einmal war in Dokumenten, Berichten, Erzählungen, Bildern, Dillingen/Saar 2009, S. 90.
In officeMayors 1845–1859Johann Reuter1859–1867Johann Jakob Schamper1867–1870Bernhard Scherer1871–1872Peter Reuter-Scherer1873–1879Nikolaus Weyand1880–1886Peter Scherer-Marx1887–1893Peter Bach-Senzig1894–1899Nikolaus Scherer1900 (Resignation from the mayoralty Fraulautern on 1 January 1900; Foundation of mayoralty Nalbach)Johann Spurk: »Diefflen – Die Entwicklung einer kleinen dörflichen Siedlung zu einer großen Arbeiter-Wohnsitzgemeinde«, A. Krüger, Dillingen-Saar, 1964, S. 67. –1918 Johann Scherer-Schamper (until March 1918)1918–1918Johann Bellmann-Zenner (until December 1918)1919–1920Johann Scherer-Schamper1920–1922Johann Albert Brutty (Social Democratic Party of Germany)1922–1926Jakob Wagner-Bach (SPD)1926–1930Johann Dittgen-Kunz (Zentrum)1930–1935Peter Reiter-Scholer (Zentrum)1935–1940Hermann Greilach (installed as mayor without prior election by the NSDAP)1940–1945Johann Feld (installed as mayor without prior election by the Nazi Party; already since September 1938 entrusted as the first alderman with the management of the official duties)Spurk, Johann: »Diefflen – Die Entwicklung einer kleinen dörflichen Siedlung zu einer großen Arbeiter-Wohnsitzgemeinde«, A. Krüger, Dillingen-Saar, 1964, S. 102.1945–1946Peter Baumann (installed as mayor without prior election by the United States Army)Spurk, Johann: »Diefflen – Die Entwicklung einer kleinen dörflichen Siedlung zu einer großen Arbeiter-Wohnsitzgemeinde«, A. Krüger, Dillingen-Saar, 1964, S. 1117–1118.1946–1949Johann Scholer-Diwo1949–1950Jakob Lorang-Bach1950–1953Jakob Jost-Kunz (Christliche Volkspartei des Saarlandes)1953–1956Josef Spurk (Christliche Volkspartei des Saarlandes)1956–1960Willi Dräger1961–1965Hans Meiers1965–1968Nikolaus Friedolin Domma1968–1969Hans Ring
Demographics From 1802 until its incorporation into the city of Dillingen/Saar in 1969, the population of Diefflen developed as follows:Josef Jost: Diefflen, der Raum und seine anthropogene Nutzung zwischen 1858 und 1969, Wissenschaftliche Zulassungsarbeit im Fach Geographie an der Universität des Saarlandes, Dillingen 1984, S. 23–28, 48–54, 100–106, 148–155, 209–214. Year Number of Residents 1802 348 1820 408 1832 613 1837 644 1841 663 1855 829 1860 874 1861 965 1867 1.005 1869 1.105 1871 1.041 1873 1.054 1875 982 1877 980 1885 1.247 1890 1.542 Year Number of Residents 1895 1.696 1897 1.802 1900 1.868 1903 2.133 1905 2.279 1910 2.663 1912 2.840 1914 3.122 1920 3.435 1925 3.397 1927 3.574 1930 3.570 1931 3.559 1935 3.652 1939 3.759 1941 3.465 Year Number of Residents 1945 3.580 1946 3.585 1949 3.797 1950 3.811 1951 3.829 1952 3.929 1953 3.965 1954 4.062 1955 4.053 1956 4.059 1957 4.055 1958 4.075 1959 4.016 1960 4.045 1961 4.067 1962 4.112 Year Number of Residents 1963 4.146 1964 4.213 1965 4.299 1966 4.320 1967 4.348 1968 4.266 1969 4.298 1986 4.465 1987 4.458 1988 4.503 1989 4.526 1990 4.478 1991 4.509 1992 4.589 1993 4.624 1994 4.665 Year Number of Residents 1995 4.671 1996 4.748 1997 4.741 1998 4.695 1999 4.696 2000 4.722 2001 4.742 2002 4.749 2003 4.706 2004 4.684 2005 4.749 2006 4.709 2007 4.707 2008 4.665 2009 4.662 2010 4.666 Year Number of Residents 2011 4.659 2012 4.675 2013 4.671 2015 4.643 2016 4.656
Economy
The most important employers in the immediate vicinity of Diefflen are the steel industry and metalworking companies and the craft assigned. Examples include the Dillinger Hütte, the Bartz-Werke, the Dillinger factory of perforated sheets and the NEMAK aluminum foundry. The automotive industry is represented by Ford on the Röderberg. In the luxury food industry the works of in Fraulautern and Saarwellingen have to be mentioned. Many jobs are also offered by various retailers. The unemployment rate of the district of Saarlouis was 5.4% in April 2016.retrieved 17 May 2016. The unemployment rate in the district reduced to 4.8% by November 2017.retrieved 30 November 2017. In May 2018, the unemployment rate in the district was 4.6%.Saarbrücker Zeitung, C 2, Lokales, Freitag, 1 June 2018, Artikel "Gute Bedingungen für den Arbeitsmarkt"
Transport In the year 1913 in the district of Saarlouis seven electrically operated Tram-lines were built. One of these tram lines led from Saarlouis to Dillingen and a second from Dillingen via Diefflen to Nalbach. The municipal council had decided in 1907, the construction of the tram, as Diefflen had not been included in the construction of the railway line. The official commissioning took place on 1913.Lehnert, Aloys: Geschichte der Stadt Dillingen Saar, Druckerei Krüger, Dillingen 1968, S. 554–556.Georg Colesie: Geschichte des Nalbacher Tales, Eine saarländische Heimatgeschichte, 2. Auflage, Nalbach 1990, S. 196–198. Since 1928 there is a bus line from Diefflen to Düppenweiler. In the period from 1953 to 1963 there was a conversion from tram to bus operation. The entire municipality (with Dillingen and Pachten) is now connected by thirteen bus lines.
Autobahn Diefflen is connected to the national and international highway network via several motorway interchanges: the Dillingen-Mitte (No. 8) and Dillingen-Süd (No. 10) junctions are on the Bundesautobahn 8, that runs 497 km (309 mi) from the Luxembourg A13 motorway at Schengen via Neunkirchen, Pirmasens, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm, Augsburg and Munich to the Austrian West Autobahn near Salzburg. In addition, Diefflen is connected via the Saarlouis interchange (No. 9 ) to the Bundesautobahn 620, connecting Saarlouis with Saarbrücken. From here, there is a connection to Bundesautobahn 1, that runs from Saarbrücken to Heiligenhafen in Schleswig-Holstein.
Rail