Territory of the Saar Basin

Territory of the Saar Basin
Saarbeckengebiet, Saarterritorium  (German) Le Territoire du Bassin de la Sarre  (French)
Territory under League of Nations protection
1920–1935
Flag Coat of arms
Map of the Territory of the Saar Basin (purple).
Capital		Saarbrücken
Languages		French German Rhine Franconian Moselle Franconian
Government		Special territory
Commission Chairman
•	1920–1926	Victor Rault
•	1926–1927	George W. Stephens, Jr.
•	1927–1932	Sir Ernest Collins Wilton
•	1932–1935	Sir Geoffrey Knox
Historical era		Interwar period
•	Treaty of Versailles	10 January 1920
•	Plebiscite	13 January 1935
•	Disestablished	1 March 1935
Population
•	1933 est.	812,000
Currency		Saar franc
Preceded by Succeeded by Free State of Prussia Rhenish Prussia Free State of Bavaria Circle of Rhine Gau Westmark
Today part of		Germany

The Territory of the Saar Basin (German: Saarbeckengebiet, Saarterritorium;French: Le Territoire du Bassin de la Sarre) was a region of Germany occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France from 1920 to 1935 under a League of Nations mandate. Initially, the occupation was under the auspices of the Treaty of Versailles. Its population in 1933 was 812,000, and its capital was Saarbrücken. The territory closely corresponds with the modern German state of Saarland, but was slightly smaller in area. After a plebiscite was held in 1935, it was restored to Germany.

Under the Treaty of Versailles, the highly industrialized Saar Basin, including the Saar Coal District (German: Saarrevier), was to be occupied and governed by the United Kingdom and France under a League of Nations mandate for a period of fifteen years. Its coalfields were also to be ceded to France. During this time, the Saar Territory was governed by the five-person Governing Commission (German: Regierungskommission; Reko) made up of representatives of the occupation forces. Under the terms of the mandate, the Commission had to include at least one French person and one German resident of the Saar. After that time, a plebiscite would be implemented to determine the Saar's future status.

The Territory comprised the portions of the Prussian Rhenish Trier Region and the Bavarian district of the Palatinate, which had a significant number of the miners, working in the Saar coal mines, among the population. It issued its own postage stamps and currency (the Saar franc).