Saarbrücken is the industrial, commercial, and cultural centre of the great Saar coal-mining region. Iron and steel are the most important industries; there are also breweries, food-processing plants, printing works, and factories producing machinery, optical instruments, clothing, paper, soap, lime, and cement. Saarbrücken is an important road and rail junction.

Heavily bombed during World War II, the city has been rebuilt. Historic buildings include the old town hall (1750), the Baroque Ludwigskirche (1762–75), the Gothic abbey church of St. Arnual (c. 1270–1330), the Old Bridge over the Saar (1546), and the 15th-century castle church. The 18th-century castle, formerly belonging to the counts of Nassau-Saarbrücken, stands on the site of the Sarrabrucca. Saarbrücken is the seat of the University of the Saar (1948) and has specialized technical colleges, the state museum of pre- and early history, and the Land administrative offices and courts. The city hosts the annual international Saar Fair. In Völklingen, west of Saarbrücken, is an ironworks founded in 1873 that was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994; covering 15 acres (6 hectares), it is the only intact ironworks built and equipped in the 19th century in either Europe or North America. An airport lies east of Saarbrücken. Pop. (2003 est.) city, 181,860; urban aggl., 953,870.