Bärwalde opencast mine
The Bärwalde opencast mine , Bjerwałdska jama in Upper Sorbian , was an open-cast lignite mine in the Lusatian lignite district in northern Upper Lusatia . The open- cast mine was opened in the southeast of the Hoyerswerda district near the neighboring Weisswasser and Niesky districts , whose neighboring communities were also claimed in the later course of the mining.
Today the former open-cast mining area lies entirely in the municipality of Boxberg / OL in the district of Görlitz . The eponymous place Bärwalde lies north of the claimed area. From the opencast mine is a mining landscape of Bärwalder lake emerged.
history
The Bärwalde opencast mine was opened up by VEB BKW Glückauf Knappenrode. Drainage work began in 1971 and the actual coal production from 1976. The political upheaval in 1989 and 1990 led to a decline in the demand for raw coal. After reunification, the opencast mine came to LAUBAG . At the same time in the municipality of Klitten , which was in the priority area, there was resistance among the population to the opencast mine. In 1991 the mine was deferred and closed in 1992. On the one hand, this led to the preservation of a large part of the municipality of Klitten and, on the other hand, to massive job cuts.
economy
The opencast mine was mainly opened up to supply the nearby Boxberg power station . The coal extracted was converted into electricity in the lignite power station and brought to the Schwarze Pump gas combine for processing . The open pit mine was one of the largest employers in the region. A total of 680 million m 3 of overburden was moved and 185 million tons of raw coal were extracted.
Demolitions
The predominantly Sorbian villages Merzdorf (1978) and Schöpsdorf (1981) as well as the Klitten district of Jasua had to give way to opencast mining . In contrast to the former, Jasua, which was only demolished in 1987/88, was not over-dredged. For the opencast mining, the Bundesstraße 156 (then Fernstraße 156) and the Spreelauf had to be relocated.
Web links
- Regional Planning Association Upper Lusatia-Lower Silesia: History of the Bärwalde opencast mine
- Portrait of the Bärwalde opencast mine on Ostkohle.de
Coordinates: 51 ° 23 ' N , 14 ° 33' E