Luisenthal memorial service

Three days after the worst mining catastrophe in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a large government ceremony to honour the deceased was held on the grounds of the Luisenthal pit. The TV and radio coverage of this ceremony, which directed the eyes of the entire world at the tiny Saarland, reached television screens and radio sets throughout the world. In addition to the musical backdrop of the "Saarknappenchor" and the "Bergkapelle", the speeches given by representatives of the Saarbergwerke AG, the unions and the state and national government tried to find words for the unspeakable events that had transpired. The address by then Federal President Dr. Heinrich Lübke (1894 to 1972) in particular is still remembered by many inhabitants of the Saarland even today.