Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker From stone quarries in India’s Odisha state to Germany’s open-pit coal mines a former industrial hub near Berlin is a blooming blueprint for how to transform blighted landscapes Whether it's an old glass factory or a former mine: this year's Lusatia Festival is once again taking place in very special locations Saxony's Minister President Kretschmer is particularly looking forward to an opera artists from all over the world will once again transform the region into one big stage The festival (August 24 to September 14) offers dance theater and concerts as well as staged readings The events often take place in unusual venues - including old factories Some of the plays were staged especially for the festival It is not just about making the region "a location for renewable energies the soul must also be addressed," Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) told the German Press Agency before the program presentation in the Saxon state representation "The message is clear," said State Chancellery Director Kathrin Schneider (SPD) cosmopolitan and full of surprises." Ticket sales for the 30 or so events in southern Brandenburg and eastern Saxony have begun The festival will open with a world premiere in the world's oldest briquette factory in Domsdorf The text of the play "Sonnet Factory" is based on sonnets by the poet William Shakespeare "A particularly magical place awaits us," said Austrian author Michael Sturminger the play will be performed in a former glass factory in Weißwasser staged by the young director Marcel Kohler Berlin composer Marius Felix Lange will bring the famous Sorbian legend to the stage with the family opera "Krabat" Kretschmer would also like to see the play One of the musical highlights of the festival is the birthday concert for Estonian star composer Arvo Pärt visitors to Görlitz will be able to listen to his works The concert will be streamed live across Europe A song recital with singer Ute Lemper is planned in Bautzen to commemorate the world-famous composer Kurt Weill He would have been 125 years old this year The Lausitz Festival is taking place for the sixth time it is intended to focus on the "we" and the community © 2009 - 2025 DieSachsen.de | Alle Rechte vorbehalten | Entwickelt mit publizer in Sachsen Ihre Daten sind uns wichtig, und wir würden gerne Cookies verwenden, um Ihr unglaubliches Erlebniss auf DieSachsen.de weiter verbessern zu können. This sleepy stretch of northeast Germany has ambitious arts and outdoors projects, plus dainty towns in rolling green countryside, says Abigail Blasi This sleepy stretch of northeast Germany has ambitious arts and outdoors projects, plus dainty towns in rolling green countryside, says Abigail Blasi I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Goerlitz is as far east as you can go in Germany Amble across the city’s pedestrian bridge over the river Neisse and you’re in Poland (there’s no border check) it’s one of the major towns of the crossborder area of Lausitz (a name that roughly translates as “marshy”) The town’s historic buildings the colour of French Fancies were fortuitously undamaged by Allied bombs in the Second World War The area also has a new September arts festival curated by the director of the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra featuring events such as mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca accompanied by Malcom Martineau and Hamlet performed in a former lightbulb factory At the edge of Goerlitz is the vast Art Deco Stadthalle built on the profits of textiles in 1910 but now closed for over 20 years Kuehnel says: “The initial idea was to renovate the hall and to create a festival to give it a purpose.” This year the Stadthalle restoration received a £30m boost from the state government Inside it resonates with the ghosts of grand galas dusty wrought iron and the stadium-like main hall Marcel Dupre will play its magnificent 111-year-old Sauer organ as part of the festival a sewing-themed cafe with a terrace which closes at a modest 6pm The Stadthalle resonates with the ghosts of grand galas The city’s Art Nouveau synagogue also reopened this year after 30 years of restoration This was the only synagogue in Saxony to survive the pogrom of 1938 and to visit is a profoundly moving experience A broken marble plinth is a stark reminder of the past amid the richness of its intricately repainted gold and brown walls and ceiling It is now a cultural centre as well as a multi-faith place of worship pianist Piotr Anderszewski played a recital here before crossing the border to Boniface church to play the second part of the programme Beyond Goerlitz, the landscapes of the wider Lausitz region unfurl in waves of fuzzy-felt green, with giant fields and huge Hansel-and-Gretel style beech forests. The area’s former lignite mineshafts have been filled with water to create a local Lake District attempting to draw in tourists to replace an industry that dominated the area since the 16th century foxes flit across the dark roads and there are wolves Boringly sensible modern houses make up villages where it looks like everyone has learned the benefits of an early night has a rare cluster of half-timbered buildings along a winding stream overlooked by the mysteriously humongous Dorfkirche (with space for 2,632 worshippers) Berzdorfer Lake is closest of the ex-mineshaft lakes to Goerlitz, four miles away. It resembles a tidy reservoir rather than a natural lake, a blue expanse in a curiously flat landscape. Visit for the day and you’ll find sandy beaches, a cafe, paved cycle routes and Insel der Sinne a pavilion-like hotel with blonde-wood lakeside terraces Local resident Tony Naehrig often cycles to the lake from Goerlitz on sunny days “It’s not exactly natural but it’s a good way to use these places.” Lausitz feels simultaneously overlooked and at the heart of Europe But Lausitz’s best-known rural sight is perhaps Rakotsbrucke which can be found in 19th century Kromlau Park The bridge’s reflection in the water completes a perfect circle it attracts a steady stream of Insta-pilgrims hoping to snap the view Only three miles to the west and even more extraordinary is Bad Muskau and the gardens of Prince Puckler and sought to recreate this in the park that now straddles the border The Lausitz Festival uses its coach house and brewery for video-art installations oddly fitting in the largely derelict outhouses that surround Muskau’s grandiose red-walled mansion There’s a feeling of optimism swirling around its reimagined mine lakes the festival’s philosophical discussions in churches cross-border performances and the belief in art to change places and lives And there’s an eccentric thrill about exploring somewhere that’s barely on the tourist map where you can wander half-restored buildings and where if you attempt to dine between 8.30pm and 9.30pm You can get from the UK to Goerlitz in around 13 hours by train before taking one ICE train to Frankfurt and another to Dresden from where you can take the train to Goerlitz (3-4 hours) The lovely Hotel Borse, which has an old-fashioned elegance, powder-pink facade, four-poster beds, chandeliers, polished-wood floors, honesty bar and a hearty cheese-and-ham breakfast. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies {"adUnitPath":"71347885/_main_independent/gallery","autoGallery":true,"disableAds":false,"gallery":[{"data":{"title":"20160808-30441.jpg","description":"Goerlitz, 08.08.2016 / Berzdorfer See bei Görlitz (Sachsen) / Foto: Nikolai Schmidt","caption":"A paddle boarder on the tranquil, man-made Berzdorfer lake A paddle boarder on the tranquil, man-made Berzdorfer lake govt and politics","score":0.544346},{"label":"/law Germany’s new lake district","description":"This sleepy stretch of northeast Germany has ambitious arts and outdoors projects plus dainty towns in rolling green countryside The gearless conveyor drive with its permanent magnet motor impressed the Ministry of Economics at this year's "Innovationspreis Brandenburg Metall" (Brandenburg Metal Innovation Prize); received an award for this pioneering solution Pilot project in LausitzTogether with Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG) ABB started a pilot project at the Jänschwalde surface mine The direct drive was used parallel to the existing gear drive and the efficiency of both was compared The direct drive exceeded expectations and was convincing in terms of cost-effectiveness which goes hand in hand with better energy consumption higher availability and lower maintenance costs.  Learn more about the solution in the following video ABB's website uses cookies. By staying here you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more I agree By 2020-02-14T16:44:00+00:00 GERMANY: DB Regio has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 18 three-car Mireo electric multiple-units for use on Netz Lausitz regional passenger services from late 2022 The EMUs to be supplied from Siemens’ Krefeld plant will have 180 seats including ‘premium-quality’ first class areas and a family zone with at-seat power and USB sockets and inductive charging at tables charging points for electric bikes and energy-saving lighting DB Regio is to operate the Netz Lausitz services for 13 years from December 2022 under a contract awarded in December by Berlin-Brandenburg transport authority VBB on behalf of the Land of Brandenburg and Leipzig transport authority ZVNL The contract covers the operation of 4·3 million train-km/year on routes RB11 Frankfurt (Oder) – Cottbus – Finsterwalde – Falkenberg (Elster) RB49 Cottbus – Ruhland – Elsterwerda-Biehla – Falkenberg (Elster) RE10 Frankfurt (Oder) – Cottbus – Falkenberg (Elster) – Eilenburg – Leipzig Hbf RE10V Cottbus – Leipzig Hbf and RE13 Cottbus – Senftenberg – Elsterwerda ‘We’re getting more modern and higher-quality trains which is exactly what we envisioned in the tendering process’ said Brandenburg’s State Secretary for Infrastructure & Planning Rainer Genilke when the EMU order was announced on February 14 we’ll be adding more train-km on the network and reorganising the service in the region from southern Brandenburg to Sachsen By undertaking these developments in our transport sector we’ll be supporting structural change in the Lausitz region.’ GERMANY: DB Regio has formally awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply seven Miro electric multiple-units for use on services from Karlsruhe to Bruchsal Heidelberg and Mannheim which it is to operate as part of the Netz 7b operating contract GERMANY: Baden-Württemberg has formally awarded DB Regio the Netz 7b contract to operate passenger services from Karlsruhe after none of the three losing bidders objected The contract announced on October 10 runs for 13 years from December 2022 GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Württemberg has decided to order a fleet of 20 Mireo battery-electric multiple units from Siemens Mobility to operate the Netz 8 Ortenau package of regional lines the state government announced on August 2 Procurement began in May for the concession to operate the electrified route .. Site powered by Webvision Cloud Get quick access to your favorite articles Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers Make your voice heard with article commenting The third event of the German Formula 4 season with races seven eight and nine took place in support of the DTM and GT Masters at the Lausitzring And after two test days that went very well I had big goals for that weekend: a podium result for my race car "Hugo" all dressed up with new sponsor stickers and new stripes I was one of a few drivers who had opted for used tyres and my pace was okay allowing me to remain in the top five for a long time many drivers opted for a run on a second new set I had traffic on my quickest lap and lost two or three tenths With the two-group qualifying due to the 38-car field I thought that it would be a relatively simple session it was anything but - I ended up eighth in my group then two other drivers were faster than I and I was only 16th altogether Even my second-fastest lap - which decided the grid position for Race 2 - put me only on P16 I went running for 45 minutes before breakfast as I had to clear my head for the race We had two races that day and I started 16th in both But I thought a top-10 result and championship points should be possible And that would put me in the perfect place for the last race on Sunday which would see a reverse-grid for the top 10 I had a good start and made up two positions after the first turn - and another a little later My brakes were perfect and I could overtake another two cars on the inside but the driver on the outside obviously accelerated too early and too hard and spun right into me His front wing was now stuck in my sidepod a driver from behind passed me on the left but had no room because I was already on the kerb Since I was looking to the right (which could later be seen on my onboard video) I could not see the driver on the left and we touched He spun and this spin triggered a crash with 10 cars the red flag was a shame because I was running ninth at the time only for the restart order to be formed according to the original grid - P16 then I could have not gone on much longer with all the damage to my car Its right side was not complete anymore: the sidepod The team had 10 minutes for repairs and they did it including our team principal Timo Rumpfkeil The restart was behind the safety car and I was able to make up some positions with my taped "Hugo" and crossed the finish line 13th which is always a neat occasion - as it's fantastic to see how many people like you and support you and it is always fun I got interviewed by German television after the race the safety car came out again and I was able to catch up to the field there were a few laps when I made up positions and was running 20th But it was a chapter in the book called "Learning" because the sudden loss of grip on the marbles was new to me The stewards pointed out that they would not tolerate so many accidents in the future that they will give out more severe penalties and will keep the safety car out for the whole race and end it behind the safety car if it does not get better I think it is right to penalise the frequent offenders harder but I don't think it is right to punish everybody for the mistakes of the few One lap in a race costs a lot of money and neither my sponsors I was asked by a German newspaper whether I would be on the grid of the DTM race for an interview I agreed and I even watched the first few laps as a co-commentator that did not get aired because of technical issues there was a bad thunderstorm which stopped after in about 25 minutes but the paddock was underwater by at least 2 inches I wrapped trash bags around my shoes so that they would not get wet That looked very funny and people looked and took pictures there was still a lot of water on the track It was important to look for puddles and rivers of water and to warm up the tires Our team principal Timo and my race engineer Dennis were discussing on the radio whether to go for rain tires or slicks We saw that some drivers were on slicks and my team expected a few safety car periods because "wet" means "difficult" and the previous races were dominated by the safety car that was one less potential possibility to overtake the race kicked off for good and It went well The track dried way too fast and soon the water was only in two spots "Oh my God," I thought as I lost grip with every turn and started to slide more and more I wanted to retaliate on the brakes at turn 1 but on my "peas" I miscalculated by an inch and my front wing touched my opponent The wing was loose and there were another five laps to go I got the black-and-orange flag and had to pit within three laps I thought my performance in the race was really good I was very quick in the wet and could overtake very well The solution would have been slicks instead of rain tyres and less pressure We had every reason to expect a safety car but it didn't come the event at Lausitzring was just not my weekend My team and I will do everything to bounce back stronger at the next races at Oschersleben I am looking forward to seeing everybody again in two weeks From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport In order to keep delivering our expert journalism we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience GP Joule and Trina Solar have finished building a 170 MW solar project on a former lignite opencast mine in Brandenburg Almost 9.5 TWh of solar power were fed into the public grid in July more than in June 2024 and 24% higher than in July 2023 From pv magazine Germany Trina Solar and German developer GP Joule have finished building a 170 MW solar plant on a former lignite opencast mine in Klettwitz The first 90 MW section of the plant has been operational since May 2022 The project is part of the Lausitz energy park which is one of the largest ground-mounted PV facilities in Germany is one of the largest brownfield sites in Europe and is highly contaminated “When it comes to reallocating and rehabilitating former brownsites solar plants on conversion sites are an absolute must,” said Gonzalo de la Viña “Our Vertex modules provide many benefits to any country or municipality looking to convert a contaminated brownsite Trina Solar has reached new levels of enabling environmental rehabilitation.” GP Joule said that it wanted to complete the rest of the Lausitz Energy Park by the fall It said that the solar power would be partly used to produce green hydrogen More articles from Roland Ernst Please be mindful of our community standards and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This website uses cookies to anonymously count visitor numbers. View our privacy policy. × The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this Close Silke.Thomson-Pottebohm@siemens.com presse.b@deutschebahn.com PHM Racing’s Taylor Barnard was fastest in both ADAC Formula 4 practice sessions at the Lausitzring on Friday Barnard was in first place almost from the start until the end in the morning session only very briefly being shuffled down to second place by US Racing’s returning Kacper Sztuka halfway through FP1 On one run Barnard made four successive improvements to his best laptime and eventualy ended running with a 1m24.007s lap The session was brought to a close four minutes early as team-mate Jonas Ried encountered trouble on track Jenzer Motorsport’s Rasmus Joutsimies and Ried all lapping in the 1m24s There were only 11 cars taking part as although US has returned to the grid with three cars Prema’s four-car line-up has left the series Bedrin and Sztuka all spent time at the top in FP1 with the pace not matching the morning’s action until towards the end as drivers broke into the 1m23s a 1m23.485s that put him 0.393 seconds ahead of Sztuka Joutsimies jumped up to third place at the very end while Bedrin and Kluss couldn’t improve and both ended up lapping in the 1m24s territory Established in 2011 and previously found at PaddockScout.com Formula Scout is home to regular news and features from the world of junior single-seater racing tracking the progress of future grand prix stars We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Red Bull junior Jak Crawford topped the times in free practice for the opening round of the ADAC Formula 4 season Crawford was fastest in the Friday afternoon session setting a 1m22.331s lap at the Lausitzring The Van Amersfoort Racing driver swapped fastest times with R-ace GP’s Victor Bernier and Mucke Motorsport’s Joshua Duerksen but neither could match his pace by the end of the session currently only confirmed for the Lausitzring round was fourth quickest for US Racing in what will be his debut weekend in single-seaters Crawford only managed a handful of laps in the second session on Saturday morning but none of the 11 drivers improved on their FP1 laptimes leaving him top of the charts ahead of qualifying His team-mate and fellow Red Bull junior Johnny Edgar was fastest in FP2 he finished the morning 0.6s slower than Crawford’s FP1 time and 0.06s slower than his own time in the first session Edgar heads into qualifying fifth fastest overall ahead of Artem Lobanenko (R-ace GP) and Vladislav Lomko (US Racing) US Racing’s karting graduate Tim Tramnitz was quick early in FP2 but couldn’t match the pace of the rest of the field and couldn’t match his own FP1 time SMP Racing protege Krill Smal and F4 South East Asia frontrunner Elias Seppanen completed the top 10 AdvertisementHow was your experience today the former Lausitz production site will be equipped with an independent and highly secure mobile critical communications infrastructure Vodafone Germany is spearheading the digital transformation of BASF Schwarzheide with the establishment of a private 5G-based campus network This collaboration between Vodafone and BASF Schwarzheide represents a significant milestone in Germany’s industrial landscape The local network will provide ultra-fast mobile communications tailored to the specific needs of the company and its production facilities Vodafone’s advanced 5G network will bring enhanced efficiency to BASF’s operations through streamlined monitoring The partnership involves the construction of six cutting-edge cell phone masts with state-of-the-art antennas ensuring comprehensive 5G coverage across the factory premises The potential applications of this new infrastructure are far-reaching By enabling real-time communication between sensors BASF’s Lusatian production plant is at the forefront of Europe’s process industry This groundbreaking development allows for the exploration of innovative application scenarios that were previously unfathomable Both Vodafone and BASF have already conducted successful test runs at the site and mobile communications networks integrated with IT systems These trials have propelled the optimization In Vodafone’s broader efforts to establish extensive 5G coverage in Germany the company’s network already reaches 90% of the population its 5G Standalone network (SA) currently serves 45% of the German population with plans to achieve nationwide coverage by 2025 Vodafone is a key player in the country’s telecommunications landscape The collaboration between Vodafone and BASF Schwarzheide demonstrates the immense potential of 5G technology in shaping the future of industry and manufacturing By laying the groundwork for seamless connectivity they are paving the way for an era of unparalleled innovation This landmark achievement reaffirms Germany’s position as a global leader in digital transformation and sets the stage for even greater advancements in the years to come As a member you can view all our web pages © 2025 | The Critical Communications Review All rights reserved Max Biaggi and Yukio Kagayama have been flat out testing new engine and electronic components in an effort to get their Alstare Suzuki GSX-R1000R back to the front in World Superbikes Riding in a two day private test at the Lausitzring in Germany Kagayama completed 91 laps with a best lap time of 1m 39.8s 1.2 seconds outside Troy Bayliss’ 2006 lap record Kagayama has good form at the German circuit having won race one convincingly last year Max Biaggi completed a massive 105 laps with a best time of 1m 40.1 It was the first time Biaggi has ridden at Lausitzring and he spent the opening day learning the technical circuit before evaluating the new parts Both riders got to try out a number of new engine components including a revised camshaft plus further set-up of the new Magneti Marelli electronics system Race Team Co-ordinator Yann Le Douche said: “We are testing many different things with the engine set-up and electronics system “The aim is to try and find the right engine set-up for each rider so that they can get the best out of the chassis.” Sports Editor - If you’re looking for sport insight that’s got its finger firmly on the pulse and gets to the very heart of the action with the fattest contacts book in bike sport (rather than simply relying on watching TV coverage and hoovering up what other people are saying on social media) – then Michael is your By Michael Guy Sports editor, adventure bike nut and thoroughly cheerful chappy Germany (AP) — As the sun beats down on a small vineyard by the rippling waters of Grossraeschen Lake there's little sign of the vast wound that lies beneath the brown-black mine that once dominated the landscape providing jobs to thousands of workers who toiled in clouds of lignite coal dust Only a floating excavator plucking sunken trees out of the water hints at the effort that's gone into reshaping this corner of eastern Germany over the past decades It's part of a massive environmental cleanup in Lusatia a region that provided much of the coal that heated German homes and powered the country's industrial rise lignite seams — also known as brown coal — often lie close to the surface meaning it is easiest to just remove layer upon layer from above rather than dig underground shafts "This is a region that was shaped by strip mining for hundreds of years," said Kathrin Winkler "No grain of dirt was left on top of the other." As a young woman growing up in communist East Germany Winkler worked in the Meuro mine for a year Now it's her job to promote Lusatia's lakes as the next big tourist destination a tranquil retreat for weary city dwellers from nearby Berlin and Dresden The idea would have seemed outlandish to anyone looking at the alien But over the past two decades the man-made craters have been slowly re-sculpted to create 26 lakes connected by 13 canals and hundreds of miles of cycle track the horizons are now dotted with wind turbines and fields full of solar panels While about 22 percent of Germany's electricity still comes from burning lignite — and a further 12 percent from hard coal — some 33 percent is now generated using renewable energy Lusatia's coal industry provided more than 90,000 jobs the region only has a few thousand workers at four mines operated by a private company including the Welzow-South pit that supplies the 'Black Pump' power station 20 kilometers (15 miles) east of Grossraeschen said miners support the work that's being done to restore the sites "People have been trying to figure out for generations how to heal the wounds," said Franz who now chairs the Senftenberg mining heritage association "We think it's a positive thing that the countryside is being reshaped after the end of mining." Much of the task of turning brownfield sites into the kind of "blooming landscapes" promised shortly before reunification to East Germans by West Germany's late chancellor So far it has spent 10.6 billion euros ($12.5 billion) removing the legacy of industry and creating 25,000 hectares (61,775 acres) of lakes "You could say that it's the biggest landscape reconstruction in Europe," said Uwe Steinhuber "There's no script for this job." While countries such as the United States also require companies to restore mines and Spain's biggest lake is currently being created in a former lignite pit LMBV's effort to develop an entire new lake district clean enough for tourism is one of the most ambitious projects yet — attracting attention from as far afield as the U.S. One of the challenges is ensuring that the lakes which start out having the acidity of vinegar due to minerals churned up by mining This is done by flushing the lakes with river water or by pouring in limestone to raise the pH-level Because the earth hauled out of the pits over decades was simply dumped elsewhere unexpected landslide in 2010 prompted LMBV to re-examine the entire region "Many areas that had been considered safe until then were re-classed as unsafe," said engineer Soeren Albinus Creating a string of new lakes has an added benefit — allowing authorities to plan for the potential impacts of climate change on water levels in this part of Germany Cities such as Berlin depend on water that flows through Lusatia and the lakes are being designed to act as buffer — storing water in times of plenty and releasing it when there's a drought The region has become a giant laboratory for geologists Wary of the artificial landscape created for tourism environmental groups have purchased some stretches of land to let nature take its course Animals and plants that have been driven from much of Europe's intensively farmed landscapes the Eurasian hoopoe bird and a plant called great horsetail are reclaiming areas that were considered dead just a few years ago tourism chief Winkler shows off the new marina awaiting its first sailboats the water will rise by another foot (30 centimeters) in the coming months so the lake can be officially opened for business Authorities hope to increase the number of overnight stays from 600,000 annually to some 1.5 million in the coming years Young people in particular are benefiting already: the region has the lowest youth unemployment rate in all of Germany "It's not just the landscape that's changing big change in people's heads," said Winkler "We are moving away from being a former industrial region to one that's part of the service economy." have yet to embrace the hospitality and openness seen where tourism has long been an important part of the economy And there's little chance it will replace all the jobs lost in the mining industry for a region which had areas resembling the moon and a stretch of barren sand widely referred to as "the Sahara," Lusatia has come a long way "The nice thing is that the pride people had for this region is returning," said Winkler Follow Frank Jordans on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/wirereporter Volkmar Kienoel and Markus Schreiber contributed to this report A landscape wounded by coal mining is being transformed into Germany’s lake district Down a single lane road lined by oak trees the tiny village of Pritzen sits on a peninsula that juts into Lake Altdöbern It’s something of a miracle that Pritzen still exists Neighboring villages were demolished in the 1980s to make room for an expanding lignite strip mine and Pritzen was slated to be swallowed up next By 1987 almost all of the 500 or so residents had packed up and left chased away by the suffocating dust and noise from the mine and the threat of the imminent destruction of their homes after three quarters of the town had already been bulldozed or dismantled including the centuries-old church and its cemetery clinging to the edge of a precipice that dropped 70 metres into the mine They rebuilt their demolished homes and began replanting their fields and gardens The steeple from the vanished village of nearby Wolkenhain was erected where the old Pritzen church once stood The Vattenfall lignite mine and cooling towers of the lignite-fired power plant in Jaenschwalde Photograph: Patrick Pleul/DPA/Corbis“It is a prominent example of a wounded landscape,” said Katja Sophia Wolf the head of the Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) student house in nearby Großräschen and one of the leaders of the Pritzen revitalisation project The character of Pritzen was changed completely.” and by the time the country was reunified the industry employed 140,000 people With the mines came environmental destruction and pollution of the air forming a human chain four-mile long in protest at plans to demolish the Lusatian village for a new lignite mine Lusatian lignite was essential to the German economy and a vital source of regional pride and jobs in the region Only with the energy industry did modest prosperity arrive in our area,” said mayor Frank Szymanski of university city Cottbus Almost all the mines in southern Lusatia were closed A pressing question arose: what to do with the deep expansive open pits that scar the area and other messy leftovers from decades of rampant lignite mining “Our duty is to rehabilitate all the former state-owned mining areas from the GDR period,” said Jörg Schlenstedt “The mines were closed down but their legacy was not finalised It treats and cleans water polluted by mining sells land to be used for fields of solar panels and wind turbines colonising the artificial lakes by way of new canals that didn’t previously exist or were too acidic to support life “We can’t bring the area back to its former state natural landscape that provides new chances to the people living here and also for the next generation,” said Schlenstedt “All the old natural functions of this area LMBV created 24 artificial lakes in this part of Lusatia and 140 sq km of water surface is newly available for swimming and boating “That’s one-third more lake area than there was before lignite mining,” said Uwe Steinhuber The Lusatian lake district is now Europe’s largest artificial lake area “When we first went to look at one of the mines it was like a journey to Mars,” said Wolf of IBA a century-old organisation that deploys artists and architects in formerly industrial areas around Germany Photos of the excursion show Wolf and her colleagues trudging through an alien landscape obscured by swirling clouds of grey dust so thick it blocked out the sunlight IBA also works to help this region recover from mining “IBA didn’t want to hide the industrial heritage who now runs tours to the completed IBA attractions “The idea is to build a connection to the past and to the environment.” An aerial view of Zwenkau lake in Zwenkau Flooding old mines have created huge network of lakes in Lusatia Photograph: Jan Woitas/EPAIBA came to Lusatia in 2000 and stayed 11 years; 30 projects for new landscapes appeared across the region They include marinas and sandy beaches that offer incoming tourists boating and watersports opportunities a former power plant restored for art exhibits and techno parties towers where tourists can gaze over the former mines and a former mine purposely left untouched its low ridges and basin floor slowly being retaken by grass The rehabilitation process has not been free of hiccups and opponents and decades of lignite mining have left scars that will take many years to heal parts of the River Spree turned rust-orange a result of the increased iron hydroxide dislodged from the soil by years of mining The river flows north through the Lusatia mining areas collecting harmful chemicals along the way There are fears that the polluted water could reach the protected forest and river haven of Spreewald especially those who have lived here for many years That was one of the most important things IBA had to learn how to celebrate the mining history and at the same time create a nice and interesting new area.” “Their whole lives they believed this was an area where work is important,” Wolf added “It was dirty and polluted because it had to be When they first learned that IBA had brought people to see the mess and the destruction but its legacy is driving new life into the region we hope to have a million guests per year,” Heberle said Bathers enjoy the water at a beach at Bärwalder See lake near Boxberg Photograph: Sean Gallup/Getty ImagesFor Pritzen the fact that the town is still here – and now a scenic lakeside village – is remarkable The flooding of the old mine began in 1998 and the water level is still rising as if the trauma of its close brush with destruction still lingers “We don’t get too many visitors,” said Ute Dabow as a few Pritzen residents gathered around her mobile bakery to buy bread and baked goods on a chilly late summer day The frangrant smell of pine and tilled earth wet from the previous night’s rain wafted across the silent streets mingling with the aroma of Dabow’s fresh brotchen and pastries Oak trees shadowed a soccer field overgrown by weeds “It’s much better than it once was,” said Herbert Glatz a retired farmer and lifelong Pritzen resident who was born here in 1935 The dirt and dust was so thick it would block out the lights of cars on the streets.” Some people are returning and building new houses “This” – she gestured across the street – “all this is new.” turned one of the only old barns that survived the mining era into a place for art exhibits and performances and set up “The Hand,” a Stonehenge-like circle of concrete pillars built atop a small hill overlooking the lake Defaced by graffiti and overgrown by waist-high weeds But it provides a picturesque panorama of the new landscape Beside a bike path at the bottom of the hill the dancing leaves of aspen trees shivered in the breeze All was quiet except for a faraway rumble of construction machinery obscuring the scars of the area’s exploited past It was announced in May that the 'M' version of the upcoming 8-Series road car would form the basis for BMW's new GTE challenger, which will race in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as WEC next season. Following an initial roll-out on July 1 at BMW's Dingolfing plant near Munich, factory drivers Martin Tomczyk and Maxime Martin shared driving duties during last week's Lausitz test. Former DTM racer Tomczyk was full of praise for the M8, describing it as "great fun" to drive. “Firstly, I feel very honoured to have been able to drive at the first real test of the BMW M8 GTE on the racetrack,” said the German. “I had great fun with the car. "The BMW M8 GTE is good to drive from the outset, and it is easy for us drivers to work out the way it handles, which is important. We got a lot of kilometres under our belt, and gathered a lot of data. "We also took our first steps with regard to performance, which is by no means a given at a first test. "We will obviously work more intensively on that at the coming tests, and will build on the strong basis we established here at the Lausitzring.” The M8 GTE is scheduled to make its race debut in the 2018 Daytona 24 Hours, and will undergo more tests in both Europe and North America throughout the remainder of 2017. BMW motorsport boss Jens Marquardt said: “To see the BMW M8 GTE on the racetrack makes me very proud. Everyone involved has done a magnificent job in recent months to allow us to reach this milestone in the development of our new flagship for the GT racing scene. “In the first instance, the purpose of a test like this is obviously to get to know the car. In this regard, greater emphasis is placed on the safety aspect than performance. "However, the first impression of the BMW M8 GTE out on the track is a very positive one.” From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker. Receive exciting Motorsport news, updates, and special offers straight to your inbox. Make your voice heard with article commenting. Überblick und Prognosen zu wichtigen Trendthemen Status quo und Prognosen zu Industrien und Märkten Unternehmens- und Produktkennzahlen und Rankings Verbraucherdaten und -präferenzen in verschiedenen Industrien Detaillierte Informationen zu politischen und sozialen Themen Wichtige Kennzahlen zu Ländern und Regionen Market InsightsMarktprognosen und KPIs für über 1000 Märkte in über 190 Ländern & Gebieten Consumer InsightsEinblicke in die Einstellungen und das Verhalten von Verbrauchern weltweit eCommerce InsightsDetaillierte Informationen zu mehr als 39.000 Online-Shops und Marktplätzen Trends aus 170 Branchen in 150+ Ländern und über 1 Mio Statista+ bietet zusätzliche Dienstleistungen die auf Ihre spezifischen Bedürfnisse zugeschnitten sind Als Ihr Partner für datengetriebenen Erfolg kombinieren wir Expertise in Marktforschung Full-Service-Marktforschung und Datenanalyse Unternehmens­beratung für die Data-Driven Economy Transformation von Daten in Content-Marketing und Design Branchenspezifische und aufwendig recherchierte Fachdaten (zum Teil aus exklusiven Partnerschaften).Für uneingeschränkten Zugriff benötigen Sie einen kostenpflichtigen Account Die Statistik bildet die Anzahl der Beschäftigten im Braunkohlenbergbau in der Lausitz in den Jahren von 1958 bis 2024 ab Im Jahr 2024 waren insgesamt 7.333 Personen (einschließlich Beschäftigter in den Braunkohlekraftwerken der allgemeinen Versorgung) im Braunkohlenbergbau in der Lausitz beschäftigt Angaben beziehen sich jeweils auf den Stand am Ende des Berichtsjahres Größter Kohleverbrauch nach Ländern weltweit 2022 und 2023 Beschäftigte im Braunkohlebergbau in Deutschland bis 2024 Förderung von Braunkohle in Deutschland bis 2024 Um diese Statistik im XLS-Format herunterladen zu können Um diese Statistik im PNG-Format herunterladen zu können Um diese Statistik im PDF-Format herunterladen zu können Um diese Statistik im PPT-Format herunterladen zu können Als Premium-Nutzer erhalten Sie detaillierte Quellenangaben zu dieser Statistik Als Premium Nutzer erhalten Sie Hintergrundinformationen und Angaben zur Veröffentlichung zu dieser Statistik werden wir Sie umgehend per E-Mail benachrichtigen ...um die Statistik jederzeit in Ihre Präsentation einzubinden Diese Funktion können Sie erst ab einem Starter Account nutzen alle Funktionen.Veröffentlichungsrecht inklusive About us | Advertise with us | Contact us Posted: 17 February 2020 | | No comments yet The Mireo trainsets are set for operation on the Lausitz regional network following DB Regio winning the contract for the network in December 2019 DB Regio has placed an order from Siemens Mobility for 18 three-part Mireo trainsets that will be used for service on the Lausitz regional network in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony The order is a result of Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) awarding DB Regio with the contract for the Lausitz network in December 2019 The trainsets will be built at the Siemens Mobility plant in Krefeld, Germany, with the first trainsets set to be delivered to DB Regio by autumn 2022. Commissioning of the trains will take place between October 2021 and November 2022, and passenger service is scheduled to begin in late 2022 said: “The contract for the Lausitz network with these new trains marks a great success It’s especially important for us that we were able to secure employment for our colleagues in southeast Brandenburg for a further 13 years The modern trains will offer our passengers a substantially improved level of comfort and convenience: Features like WLAN USB charging ports and even charging stations for e-bikes will clearly increase the attractiveness of public transport in Brandenburg and Saxony.” The Mireo trainsets ordered by DB Regio benefit from 180 seats enhanced passenger comfort and full barrier-free access power sockets with integrated USB charging ports inductive charging at the tables with vis-à-vis seating CEO of Siemens Mobility said: “We are delighted that we have been commissioned to build the new trains for the Lausitz network the number of Mireos will increase to almost 180 train sets The Mireo is our intelligent and proven regional and commuter platform which combines economy with sustainability over the entire life cycle of the train and enables increased passenger comfort through many extras such as inductive charging options , , , By No comments yet All subscriptions include online membership giving you access to the journal and exclusive content By By By Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a5cde63edf755599b76485bdd4513626" );document.getElementById("j0f0bb4fb4").setAttribute( "id" Write for us | Advertise with us Global Railway Review is published by: Russell Publishing Ltd.Court LodgeHogtrough HillBrasted © Russell Publishing Limited Website development by e-Motive Media Limited you can walk through the stately entrance of the Seehotel and place a two-euro coin on the front desk a receptionist will lead you behind a locked door A few rooms on the ground floor of the hotel are filled with paintings by the Posin brothers a trio of Russian artists who copied the Old Masters in their studio in nearby Berlin and Leonardos crowd red walls in dignified gold frames The little museum’s cheerful promise is to be “Deceptive but not disappointing!” It could hardly be located in a more appropriate place and not just because one still expects a little kitsch in what used to be East Germany the name (literally “Lake Hotel”) was entirely optimistic There was only a shallow puddle in the crater of the Meuro open-cast brown coal mine Großräschen Lake recently reached its final water height and the hotel now finally lives up to its name The water of the lake is just around the corner from its front entrance It is just one in a collection of deceptive unfinished masterpieces that make up the Lusatian Lakes District coal mining completely changed the face of Lusatia which straddles the states of Brandenburg and Saxony southeast of Berlin dotted with villages dating back to the Middle Ages and known for its population of Slavic-speaking Sorbs But then strip mines consumed about 60 percent of the land it supplied 90 percent of East Germany’s electricity and heated the country’s homes more than 30 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall Lusatia is in the midst of another radical transformation The coal-mining industry is on the path to extinction—not without controversy—and tourism is being touted as one of its hopeful economic replacements Inside the biggest exhausted Lusatian strip mines there are now more than 20 new artificial lakes like Großräschen Lake Surrounding those waterways are a variety of new biomes—wet heaths pine forests—as well as new cycling trails and all the other trappings of a German holiday hotspot The Lausitzer Seenland bears the weight of a lot of superlatives—Germany’s largest lakes district Europe’s largest artificial waterscape the biggest landscape-construction site in Europe When I stepped outside the Seehotel in summer 2018 I walked by potted palm trees that decorate the promenade overlooking the new lake harbor The opposite shore’s barren scarp looked downright Mediterranean It was hot enough to tempt even the most reluctant bather because at the time swimming was still forbidden and the planned beach still had no sand tending to unruly shoals of vegetation piled up by currents I encountered just a few groups of curious tourists who seemed to be less vacationing than prospecting for fun futures I yielded to a family on bikes as I walked to the end of a pier made from repurposed mining equipment like the landscape itself a monument to the area’s industrial heritage Germany has a reputation as a leader in clean energy and yet the country is the world’s biggest producer of brown coal brown coal contributes a fifth of Germany’s overall emissions Lusatia is one of Germany’s three major lignite regions (The other two are in Central Germany around Leipzig and further west in the Lower Rhine basin.) Brown coal has been mined in Lusatia since the middle of the 1800s Lignite is the youngest form of coal and thus closest to the surface With the industrial age came the creation of expansive open-cast mines—mining from open the German Democratic Republic—GDR or simply East Germany—kicked production into high gear The smell of brown coal became the smell of East Germany and about 130 villages were razed to make way for mines as people were drawn by the promise of employment mines once operated by the East German government were suddenly without an owner such as the Swedish national utility Vattenfall as the demand for brown coal dropped drastically around 800,000 people left East Germany for the West in 1989 and 1990 as factories and other industries closed and unemployment rose which had a highly specialized mining workforce the reunified German government had quite a task on its hands with more than half of the old mining sites still needing to be reclaimed in some fashion the government spent the equivalent of 10 billion euros on the landscape overhaul in Lusatia Another billion will be spent through 2022 and the stakes are high: Now that Germany has committed to getting rid of its coal industry within the next two decades the Lausitzer Seenland is more than a reclamation project—it’s a test-case for the future of energy At least for now, visitors can still get an intimate look at Lusatia’s coal industry before it vanishes. Operated by Czech energy company LEAG, Welzow-Süd is one of the few lignite mines still active in the region, and the local mining tourism association offers a variety of tours of the pit a 17th-century manor turned cultural center in Neupetershain surrounded by the greenery typical of the Brandenburg countryside That idyll ends abruptly just 300 feet from the manor where the ground opens up to desert-like badlands The contrast is so thrilling and unsettling that it was easy to see why creating expensive artificial lakes would be preferable to leaving these apocalyptic landscapes as they are I picked up a hard hat and boarded a tank-like truck the metaphor doesn’t do the F60 justice as the Eiffel Tower doesn’t chew up and spit out the ground beneath it In Lusatia the coal seams may be buried 200 feet below the surface Overburden conveyor bridges strip the upper layers of sand and dirt and carry them away The F60 has nine moving belts that can move more than a million cubic feet of earth each hour the equivalent of a football field buried 25 feet deep I craned my neck to look at the creaking machinery shimmering strips of bark and broken bits of logs from a recently extinguished campfire I felt suddenly embarrassed that until now I had a much more abstract idea of what a fossil fuel actually is Lusatia was warmer and wetter than it is today fallen tree trunks and other decaying organic matter sank to the bottom swamps and were buried beneath heavy layers of sand and clay converted the fossils into fuel—soft lignite It makes the idea of tearing open a mine and then rebuilding a new landscape in its place within a few decades seem a laughably ambitious proposition “What happened there is comparable to what happened during the Ice Age,” hydrologist Martin Schultze says later over the phone the mining machines in Lusatia are like the prehistoric glaciers that carved holes into Europe as they shifted around Now many parts of the region are essentially in their post-melt phase Schultze says he had many sleepless nights when he was advising the Lausitz and Central-German Mining Administration Company (LMBV) the federal authority set up in 1994 to take charge of the “recultivation.” He knew that the lakes forming in Lusatia now might exist for thousands of years “That is a huge opportunity for making a completely new landscape in case visitors want to experience a landlocked “Caribbean feeling.” The Lausitzer Seenland now has about 1,200 miles of greenways As I biked through just a fraction of them I often got to a shoreline where I thought I might be able to take a rest only to find another reminder that I was on what remains a large construction site: a chain link fence with a little yellow sign warning of danger The towering disposal dumps I saw in the active mine really are as fragile as the sandcastles they resemble and they make up many of the slopes surrounding the lakes That ground can suddenly liquefy under too much pressure from construction or the penetration of a new mass of water There are a few ways to prevent such a spectacular collapse engineers can detonate explosives at strategic points underground or use the vaguely suggestive process of vibro-compaction vertical dangling vibrator wiggles and thrusts through the earth sometimes while jetting water or compressed air in its path this vibrator sometimes has to go as much as 180 feet deep These underground compression strategies essentially make hidden dams that buttress the soil to keep it from sliding these high-tech and expensive methods aren’t guarantees landscape planner Alexander Harter witnessed this firsthand He had received a call from a local shepherd urging him to come quickly to the edge of newly created Bergener Lake and suddenly a mega-landslide tore a mile-long gash in the shore swallowing half the shepherd’s flock Harter called for an emergency helicopter to pick up one truck driver who had been swept away in the muck and was shouting for help The sheep that survived were stranded on newly formed islands in the lake and had to be rescued Tourists are barred from getting anywhere near Bergener Lake and may never be able to swim in it which ultimately may not be such a bad thing who recounts the story from his office in Bergen Harter is the managing director of the Lausitzer Seenland Nature Conservation Project (NGP) one of the groups tending to the refurbishment of the land wildlife is also returning to Lusatia in the new landscapes sprouting up around the lake there are open fields with shrikes and kestrels that snatch up prey from the air Sandy dunes and dry grasslands are now home to woodlarks placing nesting boxes around meadows for flamboyant Eurasian hoopoe Sometimes the birds assist right back: Jays collect acorns from wooden boxes and bury them underground as food storage for the winter and their forgotten deposits occasionally grow into oak trees some of which are so new they can look like Christmas tree farms and activists are adamant that such steps are insufficient to avert environmental disaster thousands of protesters stormed Welzow-Süd and other mines in Lausitz to demand an immediate coal phase-out coal-producing regions will get €40 billion to support “restructuring” over the next 20 years Despite promises of support from the government and retraining programs—some in the tourism industry—there is concern about a lack of local well-paying jobs and the loss of the coal industry. In the heyday of brown coal, the region’s mines employed about 140,000. Now, according to Deutsche Welle there are just 8,000 brown coal workers in the region “Miners do not become seamen overnight,” says Kathrin Winkler head of the Lausitzer Seenland tourism association who grew up in Lusatia and once worked in coal sales herself thinks changing the identities of the people of Lusatia may take longer than any of the changes visible in the landscape The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party—which has strongly opposed the coal phase-out and rejects the overwhelming consensus among scientists that climate change is a human-caused problem—has seized on this precarious situation They’ve gained more support in former East Germany than other regions of the country including the construction of floating houses on some of the new lakes and a sleek new harbor in Lake Senftenberg the Seenland’s first artificial lake which most convincingly looks like a lively holiday destination today But IBA also sought to preserve much of the industrial heritage of Lusatia They helped save towers from a historic lignite coking plant An IBA competition resulted in the construction of a 100-foot-high steel staircase nicknamed “The Rusty Nail,” where visitors can climb to the top to look out over three lakes Feucht even had a provocative idea for Welzow-Süd after it shuts down sometime in the 2030s: Keep the mine looking much like it does today Winkler says the Lausitzer Seenland is now recording about 800,000 overnight visits each year but their goal is to eventually reach 1.5 million The 2020 tourism season is now underway in the midst of the global pandemic and Winkler said it’s too early to see any changes in the number of visitors Lusatia may be insulated from much of the havoc COVID-19 has unleashed on the international travel industry as the majority of visitors come from within Germany COVID-19 infection rates have significantly dropped off in the country and restrictions on domestic leisure travel have been eased The share of international visitors mostly comes from Poland and the Czech Republic and the borders between the countries opened on June 15 A few months of disruption is a blip compared to the timescales that govern change in Lusatia “Ten years is a blink of an eye here,” Winkler says Tourism managers have been trying to promote the lakes as a new alternative to better-established domestic destinations in eastern Germany such as the windswept beaches along the Baltic Sea and the Spreewald a quaint region just north of Lusatia famous for its canals and pickles They’ve embraced the weirdness of a landscape-in-progress as part of Lusatia’s appeal promising tourists a first look at the ruins of the coal industry—all while the people who live there are still figuring out what the future will look like the museum of fakes in the Seehotel is not completely committed to deception On one wall there is an array of international news clippings and magazine features about the Posin brothers They are nearly identical and deadly serious in every photo distinguished mostly by their hairstyles and props has a triangle of curls and always carries a pipe.) I thought they sort of resembled Van Gogh; it couldn’t be a coincidence that their copy of his last self-portrait It’s possible that visitors to Großräschen a hundred years from now won’t be able to detect a whiff of strangeness or artificiality in this lakeside vacation town But just as no one should come here to study Van Gogh no one should come to Lusatia expecting to veg out in unspoiled nature right now It’s a better destination for those who want to look at the unreal blue swirls left by a water treatment barge and think about millions of years of geologic processes and the hundreds of thousands of people that make such a vacation paradise possible We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders Max Smart and his co-driver Cameron Fair finished a commendable 9th overall and 3rd among the 6 FIA Rally Star crews vying to secure a seat in the Junior World Rally Championship in 2024 at the Lausitz Rally in Boxberg The event attracted a strong field of over 60 entries The event was the final one of the FIA Rally Star training season in which Max secured a place amongst the other Continental final winners by winning the African final hosted by Motorsport South Africa at Zwartkops The biggest positive for Max and Cameron was that they were able to restart at the pace they had at the previous event in Spain and were able to demonstrate continuous improvement throughout the rally with an error free run to the finish Max has shown continuous improvement in the three rallies which he has contested after taking a “back to basics” training and development break in the programme after his campaign initially got off to a rocky start demonstrating the same sort of determination that he displayed in the series of challenges which formed part of the MasterDrive and ATK supported local South African part of the programme That determination earned him a place in the national final and from there into the continental final which he won against strong competition There is an anxious few days ahead as Max waits to hear whether he has been selected to be among the fortunate four who will earn a fully sponsored drive at the next level of this ambitious 5 year programme MSA are proud to offer their congratulations to him for his impressive achievements up until now and are keeping their fingers crossed for him as he continues on his journey  he will be looking for key sponsors to support him in his endeavor Max hopes to make the 2024 season one of the most exceptional yet Should you wish to get involved, please get in touch with Max on max@maxsmartrally.com Weekends and South African Public Holidays MSA Website Terms and Conditions msa@motorsport.co.za | website queries: jaco@motorsport.co.za Please note that all transactions on the MSA Online Licence Portal is in South African Rand (ZAR) MSA Return and Refund Policy © 2023 | Motorsport South Africa bei der LEAG ist die richtige Technik und Technologie der Schlüssel zum Erfolg.  Die Lausitz und die Region um Leipzig sind unser Revier Wir gehören in vielfältiger Art und Weise fest dazu wie neben und nach dem Bergbau vielfältige Landschaften wachsen Wirtschaftsflächen für Land- und Forstwirte Ein Beispiel dafür ist der künftige Cottbuser Ostsee betreut bei LEAG die Hanfanbauflächen am Rande des Tagebaus Jänschwalde und er zieht gleich zu Beginn der ersten Hanffeld-Befahrung mit Lausitzer Landwirten sein wichtigstes Resümee zu den im letzten Jahr gemachten Erfahrungen Über die Erfahrungen zum Hanfanbau in der Lausitz informierten sich Lausitzer Landwirte bei der ersten von LEAG organisierten Hanffeld-Befahrung am Tagebau Jänschwalde Dank guter Niederschläge bringt es der Faser-Hanf in diesem Jahr auf stolze Höhen sind Landwirte aus der Lausitz mit einem Interesse für die Belebung des Hanfanbaus in der Region bei der Landwirte Hanf wieder vermehrt auf ihren Äckern angebaut hatten aus den Körnern lässt sich beispielsweise Öl pressen aus den Fasern des stabilen Stängels hochwertige und robuste Baustoffe herstellen Dennoch hatte sich damals der Hanfanbau in deutschen Regionen nicht flächendeckend durchgesetzt da die Nachfrage fehlte und die Konkurrenz durch Importe zu groß war Warum sieht aber LEAG jetzt ein mögliches neues Geschäftsfeld im Anbau von Hanf „Die klimatische Entwicklung lässt viele Menschen Dinge überdenken Der Wunsch nach einer nachhaltigen Produktion mit kurzen Transportwegen und damit auch Liefergarantien bekommt beim Kunden eine immer größere Bedeutung ist auch eine Art Gegentrend zur Globalisierung“ im Laufe der kommenden Jahre werde sich dies möglicherweise ändern Ähnlich positiv schätzt die Entwicklung auch Bernd Starick von der Bauern AG Neißetal aus Groß Gastrose ein die im Auftrag der LEAG die landwirtschaftliche Bearbeitung in der Rekultivierung des Tagebaus Jänschwalde übernehmen Schritte zur Rekultivierung: Animationsfilm "Ein Feld entsteht" via youtube Der Körnerhanf weist einen niedrigeren Wuchs im Vergleich zum Faserhanf auf So hat er im Auftrag der LEAG in diesem Frühjahr statt Mais Hanf auf zwei Flächen eingebracht Insgesamt 27 Hektar Versuchsfläche stehen dem Hanf in diesem Jahr zur Verfügung Dabei wurden zwei Flächen auf der Kippe und eine Fläche auf gewachsenen Boden ausgewählt Die Jahre des traditionsreichen Kohleabbaus im Lausitzer Revier gingen dem Ende entgegen Die Zeit bis zum Abschalten des letzten Braunkohlenkraftwerksblocks müsse gut genutzt werden um alternative Wertschöpfung in der Region zu etablieren mit dem wir gern die Strukturentwicklung der Lausitz unterstützen würden wollen Unser Ziel wäre die Errichtung einer Anlage zur Verwertung von Nutzhanf für verschiedene Industriezweige“ Er gehört zu einem Team von LEAG-Mitarbeitern die Hanf als Geschäftsfeld etablieren wollen „Wir möchten mit diesem Erfahrungsaustausch im Hanffeld Landwirte an das Thema Hanf heranführen denn sollten wir in eine Verarbeitungsanlage investieren brauchen wir Partner mit Flächenkapazitäten allein mit Landwirtschaftsflächen von LEAG könnten wir den Bedarf nicht decken“ Martin Theimer und Christoph Oberndorfer (v.l.) hoffen auf Partnerschaften mit Landwirten um die Verarbeitung von Hanf in großen Dimensionen angehen zu können gute Korn- und Ölqualität mit typischem Hanfgeruch gleichmäßiger mittlerer Ertrag unter Lausitzer Bedingungen Fedora 17 Die positiven Eigenschaften beim Thema Unkraut sind es die auch das Interesse von Bernd Starick für den Hanf geweckt haben „Wir Landwirte müssen uns zeitgemäß aufstellen Biolandbau spielt für uns eine immer größere Rolle so dass kein Einsatz von chemischen Unkrautvernichtern notwendig ist“ Beim Gang durch das Hanffeld können sich die interessierten Landwirte selbst ein Bild von den Flächen machen Dass tatsächlich kaum Unkraut unter den hochgewachsenen Hanfpflanzen steht Dem problemlosen Anbau stellt Bernd Starick allerdings noch zu lösende Fragen bei der Erntetechnik gegenüber „Vor der Ernte haben wir im Moment noch Respekt welches Erntegerät das Mittel der Wahl ist“ Die Technik müsse noch weiterentwickelt werden dass die Schwierigkeiten lösbar sein werden Auch beim Thema Wasserverbrauch punktet der Hanf Besonders die hohen Fasersorten beschatten sehr gut die Anbauflächen und helfen so den Wasserverbrauch niedrig zu halten.  Für Bernd Starick macht die Etablierung des Hanfs nur Sinn wenn große Flächen mit Hanf bewirtschaftet werden Genau dies liegt auch im Interesse der LEAG Gemeinsam mit den Landwirten gilt es jetzt im 2 Wissen zum besten Erntezeitpunkt und zur optimalen Erntetechnik zu sammeln um in Zukunft in größeren Dimensionen denken zu können Mehr zum Nutzhanfprojekt in der Lausitz erfahren Sie unter www.lusatia-sativa.de.  Im Blog gibt es unter dem Tag Nutzhanf weitere Artikel.  Direkt nach meinem Studium der Kulturwissenschaften hatte ich die Möglichkeit in vielen Bereichen der Kommunikation unseres Energieunternehmens tätig zu sein Seit mehr als zehn Jahren gehöre ich zum Team der Pressesprecher Dort bin ich Ansprechpartnerin für die Medien zu allen Themen der LEAG-Geschäftswelt Seit drei Jahrzehnten arbeiten und forschen Naturschutz-Experten Bergleute und Behörden für den Arten- und Biotopschutz in den Lausitzer Tagebauen Ihre Erkenntnis – wer bei Tagebauen an lebensfeindliche Mondlandschaften denkt Schweres Erdbaugerät schüttet Erdkegel an Erdkegel in einem nördlichen Rutschungskessel am Schlichower Ufer des Cottbuser Ostsees Die Erdmassen sollen weitere Abbrüche verhindern Erst danach kann das endgültige Ufer vor Schlichow gestaltet werden Mit Unterstützung des UNESCO Global Geopark Muskauer Faltenbogen und der LEAG haben sich norddeutsche Geologen an der Lausitzer Neiße zum fachlichen Austausch getroffen LEAG Geologen stellten ihre geotechnischen Revier-Untersuchungen vor.