Royal seat in the district of roses

The former royal seat of the dukes of Nassau-Saarbrücken is located in Neunkirchen, the "district of roses", nestled picturesquely in the hilly Blies countryside between Hunsrück and the Pfälz Mountains. Attractions include a romantic Old Town with half-timbered and stone houses from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, a wide selection of museums and many interesting cultural events.
Getting There Ottweiler lies in the north-east of the Saarland, near the border of Rheinland-Pfalz. It is around 30km from Saarbrücken and 10 km from Neunkirchen. By road: Autobahn A6 Mannheim-Saarbrücken and A8 Zweibrücken-Saarlouis and then national road B41; or A62 Nonnweiler-Pirmasens and then national road B420 By rail: Saarbrücken-Mainz line By air: Saarbrücken-Ensheim (30 km)
	Sights Castle courtyard and Town Hall square with beautiful Renaissance buildings Remains of the medieval town fortifications Old fortified tower with the biggest glockenspiel in south-west Germany Baroque Pavilion with Rose Garden, former hunting lodge of the dukes of Nassau-Saarbrücken, built by Friedrich-Joachim Stengel Baroque Widow's Palace, also built by F.J. Stengel, with a collection of Ottweiler porcelain Classicist Catholic Church designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel
Museums Saarland School Museum with historical schoolrooms and schoolrelated exhibits on three storeys Municipal Museum with permanent exhibition on Ottweiler in the age of the dukes, regular special exhibitions Apothecary Museum with Art Nouveau furnishings Insect Museum with over 50.000 unique exhibits from all over the world Oil Mill Museum in the Fürth quarter Local History Museum in the Steinbach quarter
Events May: Artist Fair and Arts & Crafts Market on the Tenschplatz Jun: Traditional Old Town Festival in the entire Town centre Jul/Aug: Vintage Cars Festival in the Old Town with all kind of historical vehicles Dec: Christmas Market on the Schlossplatz and Rathausplatz
	Shopping Wilhelm-Heinrich-Strasse, wide selection of interesting shops Local specialities: Fornarokugeln and Fornaro Cakes; named after the painter Fornaro Antiques and flea market in the Old Town on the 2nd Sunday of every month Saarpark-Shopping Center in Neunkirchen (10 km) Designer-Outlet-Centre in Zweibrücken (30 km)
Tips for Young People Adventure pool centre (open-air) Mini golf Forest Senses Trail Many pavement cafés and beer gardens in the Old Town Mountain biking in the nearby St. Wendler Land district
Nearby attractions Bostal Lake, the biggest lake in south-west Germany with exellent water sports facilities Thallichtenberg Castle, biggest castle in Rheinland-Pfalz Historical Völklinger-Hütte Steelworks (UNESCO World Heritage)
Excursions Beautiful countryside around nearby Wingerts Pond, many hiking trails in the surrounding region Oster Valley Railway from Ottweiler to the Oster Valley Circular Saarland Cycle Trail and Fritz Wunderlich Cycle Trail (former railway trail)	Services for visitors Ottweiler's Tourist Information Bureau arranges sightseeing tours and museum visits, provides tips for excursions and information material on Ottweiler and environs and handles reservations for restaurants, accomodation and mobile home facilities.