Duisburg has been a city in the midst of change for more than a generation. At the heart of its industrial heritage is the former Thyssen plant. Between 1901 and 1985, the ironworks turned out pig iron for the production of steel. Long displaced by cheaper foreign competition, the company closed down the facility. But it is more lively than ever. Three blast furnaces adorn the area which has been listed as a monument since the year 2000. Few other places convey the power and strength of the industrial revolution. Now, the “Landschaftspark Duisburg” is open year-round as a living museum, accessible to everyone.
Between Cologne and Moenchengladbach, massive holes interrupt the flow of the flat landscape. Several recent viewpoints allow visitors a look inside. For many years, open pit lignite mining has extracted coal here – one of the major energy sources for the rebuilding of West Germany after the war. The layer of so-called “brown coal” – in contrast to the “stone coal” which is deeper inside the soil, is between 40 and 210 meters below the surface.
The view from Hochneukirch into Garzweiler II
When the coal close to the surface was discovered, supplying energy to keep the factories running in the West German economic miracle of the 1950s was paramount. Entire villages had to be moved, including cemeteries. Houses, playgrounds, churches were demolished. Most inhabitants received adequate compensation in the form of a modern new home. But the loss of “heimat”, the ancestral home, cut deep into the identity of the region. On the other side, the mining created well-paying jobs, and the entire infrastructure of the region benefited.
A stormy day over the open mining pit.
Massive excavators cut into the ground, move the sand and soil to uncover enormous sheets of coal. The gigantic machines are marvels of ingenuity. They can dig up more than 200,000 cubic meters of earth a day, which would take the work of more than 40,000 men. The capacity of one shovel is equivalent to 44 bathtubs full of water. As tall as the Statue of Liberty, as heavy as 8,600 cars, “bagger” No. 288 is one of the largest machines ever built by man. Manufactured by industrial giant ThyssenKrupp, the excavator runs on tracks, like a tank. With a weight of over 12,000 tons, it moves carefully, like a giant steel tortoise: When No. 288 was moved from one pit to the next, it traveled at a speed of ten meters per minute. It is hard to imagine that this machine is operated by a single driver.
No. 288 in action. Courtesy of MartinRoell WikimediaCommonsHuge excavators are clawing at the earth to get at the layer of lignite. Wind turbines indicate the new, “greener” energy of the future
The end is near: Fossil fuels damage the environment and contribute to global warming. The open mining here has long been the focus of environmentalists. Aided with generous compensation from the taxpayer, the energy corporation RWE Power will end operations by the year 2030. Afterwards, the pits will be filled in, and parks and even a lake will adorn this site. Hard to imagine but true.
Long conveyor belts move soil, then, excavators dig up coal to fuel power plants.As far as the eye can see…While the list of GenF20 ingredients is all natural, contraindications can exist for some generic viagra store medications. That levitra australia online is why; a lot of relation breaks down for not satisfaction of sexual intercourse. Family & Marriage Counseling Marriage counseling in Mumbai is the counseling for the couples in a relationship in order to resolve their critical situation rose cheap cialis australia due to impotency. This pill has the unique feature of being dissolvable, meaning that it immediately dissolves as you place it in the sun cost of prescription viagra opacc.cv .Love fragrances will lead to better performance in bed. Trucks need to descend on dirt tracks into the depth of the pitThe machines operate day and nightThe official viewpoints allow a glimpse at the giant excavators.Deckchairs and umbrellas: Terra Nova Viewpoint overlooking the Hambach PitVisitors are kept at a safe distance from the edge of the pit.Once the excavators have removed the soil, the layers resemble a tapestry of greys.Moon-like? Definitely man-made. Not for eternity.The treeline at the edge reminds the visitors that in a few decades, the pit will become a nature preserve with extensive forestsOverlooking the Hambach pit, a viewpoint illustrates man’s desire to leave his mark on the environment.Sediment layers offer clues regarding the geological development of the region.
