Saverne (German Zabern, Alsatian Zàwere, all from Latin Tres Tabernae) is a French city with 11,433 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2014) in the department of Bas-Rhin in the region of Grand Est. Saverne is the seat of the sub-prefecture (French Sous-préfecture) of the Arrondissement Saverne This consists of six cantons, it is chief town (French chef-lieu) of the canton Saverne. The city is crossed by the river Zorn and the parallel Rhine-Marne Canal. Since 13 February 2014, the city of Zabern has been bilingual in the sense of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Attractions
Park side facade of Rohan castle
old town
The city's outstanding building is Rohan Castle, built in 1790. It has on the park side a 140 m long monumental facade made of red sandstone. It is the longest neoclassical castle facade in France. The building has been rebuilt many times and houses, among other things, the town museum with a rich archaeological collection, some regional art works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the collection of 20th century works donated by Louise Weiss.
The old town of Saverne has numerous half-timbered buildings from the 16th and 17th centuries, u. a. the house of the landlord Katz in the main street.
The parish church "Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité" (former collegiate church) with Romanesque west tower and late Gothic nave (Münster master builder Hans Hammer) is high-quality equipped: pulpit (Hans Hammer, 1495), figure group "The Beweinungs Christie" ( Hans Daucher, around 1500), glass window (Peter Hemmel, late 15th century).
Also, the former collegiate church of the stonemasons of 1303 with its frescoed cloister is worth seeing.
A technical point of interest is the nearby Saint-Louis / Arzviller boat lift (Plan incliné Saint-Louis / Arzviller) in the Rhine-Marne canal.
Above the town, the ruins of Hohbarr (Château du Haut-Barr) offer a good view of the city, the Rhine valley and the Vosges. On the opposite side of the Zorntal lies the ruin Greifenstein (Griffon).
Source: Wikipedia