History of the association and the Viezstraße

VIEZSTRASSE was founded in 1997. The initiator was the then Member of the State Parliament Irmtraud Engeldinger (SPD), together with many other participants, mainly owners of fruit farms, tree nurseries, market gardens and restaurants. At that time, the VIEZSTRASSE was limited to the part of the Saargau region closest to the ‘Merziger Äppelkeschd’ (Merzig apple orchard), namely from Fremersdorf (municipality of Rehlingen-Siersburg) via Merzig to Sinz (municipality of Perl). In 2001, on the initiative of the then mayor of Saarburg, Günther Schartz, the villages of the municipalities of Saarburg and Konz joined the VIEZSTRASSE, while the municipalities of Rehlingen-Siersburg and Wallerfangen also showed great interest. Signs were then put up from Wallerfangen via Rehlingen-Siersburg, Merzig, the villages of Mettlach, Perl, Saarburg and Konz to Roscheider Hof (Konz). In 2016, on the initiative of the Trier Viez Brotherhood, the VIEZSTRASSE was extended to the city centre of Trier.

About the festive events:

Immediately after the association was founded, festive events were created that quickly established themselves in the regional event calendars:
On the second weekend in October, fruit growers, distilleries and cider producers in the Upper Moselle villages (mainly Tettingen-Butzdorf and Borg) attract visitors to their barns, cider bars and open stalls with the ‘Äppelfeschd’ (apple festival). In beautiful autumn weather, thousands of visitors stroll from fruit farm to fruit farm, sampling whatever is on offer from the kitchen, cellar, distilleries and wine presses. During the official part of the event and the welcome by the association's chairman, representatives from politics and the patron(s), the stage is adorned with many ‘royals’, including the cider queen and princesses.
The ‘VIEZSTRASSE season opening’ takes place on the last Sunday in April, when the fruit trees are in bloom. The hosts are tree nurseries, market gardens, fruit farms and restaurants.
From the end of August, the Mirabelle Festival in Fremersdorf and several Viez festivals (including Trier, Fisch and Merzig-Büdingen), Viez tastings (including in Mannebach) and open tastings and awards ceremonies for fine fruit distillates attract visitors. Their recipe for success: they differ from other events because they are organised by local businesses. This is where regional businesses prove themselves and forge lasting relationships with visitors from near and far, mostly on their own premises.

Personal / Organisational:

At a general meeting in 2016, Wolfgang Schmitt (Merzig-Menningen) was elected chairman. In his spare time, he produces many apple-related products himself and markets them successfully. The rest of the board is made up of members from all districts touched by the VIEZSTRASSE: the deputy chairpersons are Petra Adam (Rehlingen-Siersburg-Gerlfangen) and Herbert Stors (Mannebach, VG Saarburg). Marie-E. Denzer is the secretary and press officer. The association's founder, Irmtraud Engeldinger (Merzig), continues to play an important role as treasurer. Within the board, assessors work in working groups.
On the occasion of the 3rd Trier Viez Festival (27 August 2016, Domplatz Trier), the Trier ‘Viez-bruderschaft’ (chairman H. Weiler), the mayor of Trier, the chairman of the VIEZSTRASSE e.V. association W. Schmitt and the founder I. Engeldinger announced the affiliation of the city of Trier to the VIEZSTRASSE. It was a big celebration on Cathedral Square with thousands of visitors.
The VIEZSTRASSE e.V. association wants the VIEZSTRASSE to ‘come alive’. The general meeting therefore decided that, from 2017, the VIEZSTRASSE would run from Merzig (starting point) via the villages of the Bietzer Berg, the Saar bridge at Beckingen and Rehlingen-Siersburg, along the well-known route through the Saar-Moselgau to its end point in Trier.
The association's board maintains cooperation with ‘Saarschleifenland’ and other regional organisations relevant to tourism, e.g. the Saar-Hunsrück Nature Park and the ‘Ebbes von Hei’ campaign.

Background information/Other:

Why VIEZSTRASSE (also known as ‘Route du Cidre’)? Viez is a unique selling point, and the orchards between the Saar and Moselle rivers are characteristic of the region. The term ‘Viez’ is only found in the border triangle of Germany, France and Luxembourg, i.e. from Lorraine via north-western Saarland, the district of Trier-Saarburg (here especially in the so-called ‘Saargau’ between the Moselle and Saar rivers) and the western parts of the Eifel and Hunsrück, but also in Luxembourg in particular. Not only are the wine-pressing and orchard cultures similar in the border triangle, but this region is also united by its language, ‘Moselle Franconian’.
Viez and the local orchard culture are ‘unique’ in the truest sense of the word. Apple wine is also produced in other regions of Europe, but while the traditional local Viez is ‘honest’ (without any additives), i.e. made solely from apples, possibly with the addition of pears, fermented naturally and therefore tasting rather dry and sour, cider (France), for example, is usually ‘stopped’. The fermentation process is interrupted in favour of a higher residual sugar content and, in some cases, carbon dioxide is added. Austrian ‘Most’ is mainly made from cider pears, a fact that is rather avoided in our region due to its “powerful” effect on unaccustomed stomachs. ‘Äppelwoi’ (from the Frankfurt area) is also pressed according to its own unique process.
But even in the VIEZSTRASSE region, the changing tastes of consumers are being taken into account: quite a few of the wineries, which are mainly run as a sideline, now produce delicious new Viez products (e.g. ‘Viezsecco’) that are more reminiscent of fine wines and sparkling wines in terms of appearance and taste. Wine-pressing methods modelled on those used in wine cellars amaze many Viez connoisseurs with the quality that can be extracted from apples as a raw material.
Back to the VIEZSTRASSE: anyone who drives along the Saargaustraßen roads, following the signs, will notice that many of the orchards that provide the raw material for Viez are endangered. The old trees often lack the necessary pruning and are full of mistletoe; sometimes the fruit from the trees is not even harvested. What's more, modern agricultural machinery gets in the way of the fruit trees. This makes it impossible to maintain the root area of the trees. The result: scrub encroachment and later clearing. Where apple and pear trees once lined the streets and paths, the road authorities are now planting acacia, rowan and hornbeam trees. And where there is still interest in growing one's own fruit, low-growing bush varieties are usually planted. The orchards that characterise the landscape seem to be slowly falling into disrepair.
What motivates the volunteers at VIEZSTRASSE e. V. to get involved and promote their project in the region? It is not just a matter of nostalgic efforts to preserve the traditional cultural landscape and protect ‘second-hand nature’ for birds and insects. They are convinced that the entire region can benefit from Viez: with activities centred around the regional VIEZSTRASSE brand, they want to establish themselves not only in the minds of the local population, but also among potential tourists, thereby contributing to the further development of the region. The trend towards regional products and health tourism is helping them in this endeavour.
How can interest in preserving orchard meadows and producing valuable, healthy local products be maintained and increased? This only works if there are customers for the products and producers can obtain a fair price for them. This does not work in competition with discounters; it only succeeds if there is trust in healthy, local products. The formula for success is therefore as follows: by setting fair prices for good agricultural products, we can make a lasting contribution to our traditional, largely intact cultural landscape and thus also to its attractiveness, but also to our health.
In the producers' tasting rooms, you will find fruit juices, cider products, high-quality fine fruit distillates and liqueurs in beautiful bottles, which are also suitable as gifts and underline the value of the contents. In some cases, table fruit is also available throughout the year. On special request, rustic parlours also welcome bus groups and offer entertaining tasting sessions led by experts. The growing trend towards health and cultural tourism, the location in the border triangle with short distances to France and Luxembourg, and the trend towards hiking and cycling are all very conducive to this.