For centuries, Central Germany was shaped by the extraction of lignite, its refining and its use. However, in the early 1990s in the course of the German reunification and the consequently changing energy policy this era came to an end, as if it had collapsed on itself.

Within a short term virtually the whole infrastructure of mining disappeared. Now, the landscape south and north of Leipzig is increasingly characterised by lakes that have developed out of the surface mining residual holes and the notion “Leipziger Neuseenland“ is about to establish itself as a new destination for tourists from all over Germany, while the memory of the time before the lakes simultaneously fades away.

This is where the project of the Mining and Technology Park sets in. The park's intention is to create a place that provides an authentic view into the past and builds a bridge between past, present and future. The connecting factor is the preservation of two heavy surface mining machines that were used in the former open cast mine in Espenhain that had already been sent  to be scrapped. These were the bucket-wheel excavator 1547 (approx. weight: 1.300 t, year of construction: 1986) and the stacker 1115 (approx. weight: 2.400 t, year of construction: 1985) that are at the heart of the Park.

Both of the large-scale devices could be preserved thanks to the initiative of committed employees of the Mining and Technology Park (reg. assoc.) that was founded in 2002, the support of the local communities Großpösna, Espenhain and Markkleeberg as well as the Free State of Saxony and the Leipzig regional council in cooperation with the LMBV and the MIBRAG.

The park's objective is to authentically and comprehensibly present a complete conveying cycle in a lignite surface mine. The exhibit covers the topics from the renaturation of the cultivated landscape to the preparation of the tarmac and water table drawdown, the extraction of overburden and coal, transportation up to the dumping of overburden and the following restructuring and recovery of new spaces.

The Park combines learning about the memory of lignite surface mining with the function of a tourist attraction and relaxation area. Topics such as power generation and energy consumption are addressed. The young generation is invited to marvel at the machine technology and logistics, and so is the generation of the former miners who can think themselves back to the “old times”. A special part of the Park is dedicated to the issue involving loss of home and the disappearing of whole villages.

Furthermore, the Park has an extensive collection of various practical tools, clothing and surface mining technology at its disposal, such as coal and overburden wagons and parts of a conveyor system.

The Mining and Technology Park, which is a unique place for vivid history education without equal in the whole world, will make a significant contribution to the development of the Neuseenland – www.leipzigerneuseenland.de – a culturally interesting and touristically attractive region, as well as to a greater attention to the industrial culture.

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The Leipzig New Lakeland is a direct result of centuries of extraction, refining and use of the natural resource of lignite. The landscape changed its appearance significantly, especially after the open-cast mining in the 20th century. In the course of the German reunification in the early 1990s and the consequently changing energy policy, this era however came to an sudden end. Within a short period of time, the whole mining infrastructure virtually disappeared. Today the landscape to the south and north of Leipzig is increasingly characterised by lakes that have developed from the open-cast mine pits – the “Leipziger Neuseenland“ (The Leipzig New Lakeland).

However, there is still active open-cast mining in the south-west of Leipzig today. Here, visitors have the opportunity to gain insights into the current coal mining.

Despite the ongoing coal mining, the appeal of the newly developed landscapes is causing the memories of the time before the lakes to fade increasingly. This small guide aims to keep these memories alive and simultaneously provide a showcase to modern open-cast mining.