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.

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.

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.

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.

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