Mettlach Abbey

Mettlach Abbey on the Saar River is a former Benedictine monastery and today the headquarters of Villeroy & Boch, the ceramics company. Inside the Baroque Old Abbey a modern visitor experience about ceramics awaits you, and in the abbey park stands the Old Tower, the oldest surviving church building in Saarland. If you are looking for things to do in Mettlach, this is a rare place that combines monastic and industrial history, only a short walk from the train station.

From monastery to ceramics factory

Around 676 the Frankish nobleman Liutwin founded the abbey of St. Peter and Mary on a flood-safe terrace beside the Saar. The Old Tower was built around the year 990 as an octagonal church of Mary, modeled on Aachen Cathedral, and served as Liutwin's burial place. The Baroque abbey you see today was begun in 1728 under Abbot Ferdinand von Koeler; its red sandstone facade is about 112 meters long. The monks fled during the French Revolution in 1793 and 1794, and the abbey was abandoned in 1802. In 1809 Jean-François Boch bought the damaged complex and turned part of it into a factory. A major fire on August 13, 1921 caused heavy damage, and the buildings were restored afterwards.

What to see

• Villeroy & Boch World: Opened in January 2025, the exhibition covers more than 2,000 square meters, from design to production.
• Baroque facade facing the river: The central projecting bay is a notable example of German Baroque.
• Old Tower: The octagonal building with its stair turret stands in the abbey park.
• Abbey park: It features rare exotic trees and the Schinkel fountain, a gift from the later king Frederick William IV of Prussia.
• Outlet: More than 900 square meters of tableware and bathroom ceramics at reduced prices.

Visiting (as of October 2026)

Plan about two hours for the exhibition, or half a day with the outlet and the park. Texts are in German, English and French, and an audio guide costs one euro for individual visitors. The building has elevators and an accessible restroom. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last entry at 5 p.m., and on selected Sundays and public holidays from 2 to 6 p.m. Adults pay 12 euros, reduced tickets cost 11 euros, children and teens aged 7 to 17 pay 6 euros, and a family ticket for two adults and two children is 29 euros. Children up to 6 enter free. The park is free to walk.

How to get there

Mettlach lies on the Saar in northwestern Saarland, near the borders with Luxembourg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The address is Saaruferstraße 1-3, and Mettlach train station is about 500 meters away. Drivers find more than 100 free parking spaces right in front of the building, plus electric vehicle chargers. Prices are in euros.

Nearby

Montclair Castle and the Saar Loop viewpoints are a few miles away and combine well with an abbey visit.