Creating Transformation: Ten principles for the - Central Europe

Brigitte Scholz
Creating Transformation:
Ten principles for the Treatment of post-mining landscapes
Dipl.-Ing. Brigitte Scholz
Interim Professor
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus
Department of Regional Planning
Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 1
03046 Cottbus
Germany
Fon: +49 (0)355 69 2138
Fax: +49 (0)355 69 3907
Email: brigitte.scholz@tu-cottbus.de
This project is implemented through the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme co-financed by the ERDF.
www.resource-ce.eu
Seite 1 von 8

The rehabilitation of former mines, industrial sites and brownfields are challenging
tasks. The legacy of mining provides special problems, but also very unique
opportunities for the regional development. This was the starting point of an
Internationale Bauausstellung (International Building Exhibition), a well known
planning instrument in Germany. The article describes the background and aims of
IBA and gives an outlook to future rehabilitation quality standards.
1. Background: The region Lausitz-Spreewald
For ten years the organization, International Bauausstellung (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-
Land, has been active in shaping the post-mining landscape in Brandenburg (in
eastern Germany). This region was known as the energy district of the former
German Democratic Republic because of its huge deposits of lignite. The excavation
of lignite began around 150 years ago. Initially, mining was below ground but was
later carried out by means of huge open-cast mines. Mining brought other industries
such as briquette factories, power stations, coke plants and related branches of
industry. A total of seventeen open-cast mines were in operation in 1989. Subsequent
to the radical political change in 1989/1990, the majority of the open-cast mines and
industries were abruptly shut down. Today the swedish energy firm, Vattenfall,
operates five open-cast mines and three power stations in the region.
As a result of this deindustrialization, the region has experienced a high rate of
unemployment up to 25 Percent. The German government has devised new
employment strategies for a limited time, so called job-creating measures. Also, the
whole political and social structure in the former GDR has changed, e.g. the school
and the health care systems. The former Chancellor Helmut Kohl promoted
“prosperous landscapes,” but in reality, the population in the eastern part of Germany
has been shrinking. In 2005, the German Spatial Planning office documented the
simultaneity of growth and shrinkage in Germany. In Lusatia, the population has
shrunk by about 20 percent since 1990.
Normally, the recultivation of post-mining landscapes is an integral part of the
production process. For the closed-down lignite industry from GDR, legal mining
responsiblity fell to the government as proprietor of the lignite business that could
not be privatized. A company, LMBV (Lausitzer und Mitteldeutsche
Bergbauverwaltungsgesellschaft), was set up to deal with this task. The german
government allocated spezial funds for the recultivation of the post-mining
landscapes. A total of just under ten billion euros was budgeted yet. Also, IBA has
been financed by this budget.
2. IBA as an planning instrument
In Germany, building exhibitions are a well known, project oriented planning
method that provides new impulses within a limited time, guarantees a high-quality
standard of (landscape) architecture and leads to innovative designs.
The IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land Association, supported by four rural districts in
Brandenburg as well as the city of Cottbus and promoted by the Federal Land
Brandenburg, has been the heart of a network connecting the people involved on site
Seite 2 von 8

with one another and with national and international experts by means of a planningrelated
target. IBA combined creative and technical innovation, called upon both the
sciences and arts to serve this objective, drawed international attention to the region -
and thus created regional circular flows in terms of the economy and new jobs.
Main Topics of IBA
IBA Fürst-Pückler-Land has been engaged in a total of 30 projects that comprise a
“Workshop for New Landscapes”. All projects are owned and operated by the
municipalities or independent associations themselves, not by IBA. The philosophy
of IBA aimed to enable the region to find new perspectives for regional
development. IBA was dealing with seven main topics:
Industrial heritage: The aim of IBA was not only to preserve outstanding examples
of Lusatian industrial heritage, but also to invent new concepts for use at those sites.
These monuments are important to strengthen the identity of places and to give the
people a bridge between the region’s past and future. One pre-emiment example is a
former conveyor bridge, which had been rededicated as the Visitors’ Mine F60.
Originally constructed to remove the excavated earth above the lignite, this device –
the biggest movable tool in the world – became redundant after only thirteen months
of operation when the mine closed down. Today, several thousand of people each
year visit the steel giant, the so called “horizontal Eiffel-Tower”, which is over 500
metres long and 80 metres high. At night, a light and sound installation transforms
the bridge again and turns it into a work of art. The Visitors’ Mine F60 and other
industrial momuments are connected by the ENERGY-Route of Lusatian Industrial
Heritage, part of the European Route of Industrial Heritage, thus creating a unique
tourism experience.
Waterscapes: One main aspect of the post-mining landscape in Lusatia will be the
new surface water. The coal pits that have fallen into disuse – around 30 in the whole
region – will be flooded to become lakes. The “heart” of the new “Lusatian
Lakeland” is a chain of ten lakes over 35 kilometres long, linked by navigable canals.
The emphasis of this successively emerging water landscape is on active and
sporting recreation – from sailing and surfing to cycling, skating, riding and even
golfing. Besides this, large areas are also reserved for quiet development in tune with
nature. IBA developed the overall concept for the new waterscape and invented a
new hallmark of the Lusatian Lakeland, the floating houses. These houses will keep
the shores free from construction and enable use of the lakes during the several years
in which they are being filled. The first three projects have already been realised, and
further projects are planned. For example, IBA organised a competition for mobile
floating architecture and developed a concept for a pontoon bridge. The Lusatian
Lakeland will become a new tourist destination and a “hot spot” for regional
development after mining. Although the flooding of the lakes will take until 2015,
the new structures allow one to visit the region now.
Energy Landscapes: The extensive, sparsely populated region provides ideal
preconditions for electricity production from regenerative energy sources like wind,
sun and biomass. IBA has been examining concepts for energy landscapes to
combine different energy sources for a new, variably usable and ecologically
enduring cultural landscape. In the project “Energy Landscape Welzow”, for
example, Brandenburg University of Technology has been investigating in
cooperation with the mining companies, different agriculture and forestry systems in
Seite 3 von 8

otation with plantations of wood for energy use. This wood is used for energyproduction
for a settlement that had to be relocated to make way for mining, and now
provides an example of a new energy standard.
New Land: Open-cast mining allows one to shape newly filled-in landscapes with a
new contour and new uses. IBA has been developing several different approaches for
post-mining landscapes to give them a characteristic design - landscapes that do not
represent a denial of mining and give the region outstanding examples of landscape
architecture. One project that remained unrealised, addressed the possibility of
maintaining a barren, bizarre post-mining landscape with its unique relief, a desert
along with an oasis. This landscape would have been both a touristic attraction and a
nature protection area. Misgivings and rejections of the unusual landscape concept
among the population, as well as technical difficulties, led to the project’s
abandonment. Nevertheless, the mining landscapes inspire artists from around the
world. Our project “Art-Landscape” tries to show, how land art could add to postmining
landscape a new design and new impulses for regional development. This
could also stimulate regeneration of small villages in post-mining landscapes, which
are threatened by depopulation and an aging demographic.
Border Landscapes: Besides the mining landcapes, the region offers another
opportunity for regional development, the cross-border cooperation with Poland. The
drawing of the border following the Second World War has separated cultural
landscapes and towns that formerly belonged together. IBA tried to reconnect them
and establish new structures, e.g. the international Geopark Muskau Coal Crescent.
This landscape was formed by glaciers during the ice age and due to its resources of
brown coal, mining started here in the 19 th century. Now, you can find a special
cultural landscape that offers the potential for tourism. IBA wanted to establish a
German-Polish association to coordinate activities to this end. Special funds from the
European Union have been offered for this project.
Cityscapes: As I showed in the beginning, a huge decrease in population has resulted
from the deindustrialization of the region. In particular, this affects the towns that
had previously grown because of the industrialization, and which now, in turn, are
shrinking. IBA has been accompanying the conversion of towns and demonstrating
new approaches to demolition and the re-valuing of spaces. For example, a
skyscraper was transformed into five village clusters and a network of common areas
were established. At the same time as the Lusatian IBA undertook these projects,
another IBA in the Federal Land Sachsen-Anhalt focussed on the challenge of urban
redevelopment in shrinking regions. These projects were also presented in 2010.
Transitional Landscapes: Open-cast mining results in desert- and canyon-like
interim landscapes, which radiate a bizarre beauty. However, these landscapes have a
limited life span: They will disappear eventually. Through open-cast mining tours,
IBA opened the possibility to experience these landscapes, enabling visitors to
discover new beauties in a landscape that has fundamentally changed and to open
their minds to new developments (fig. 12). Thus, people had an opportunity to
observe the process from mining to rehabilitation. This form of tourism helps to
close the gap between mining and post-mining and to initiates a tourism
development.
Seite 4 von 8

Fig. 1 IBA Projects (IBA-Archiv)
Fig. 2 Lusatian Lakeland (Aerial Foto: Radke LMBV IBA-Archiv)
Seite 5 von 8

3. Ten principles concerning the treatment of Post-Mining landscapes
Based on IBA’s experiences, IBA has formulated ten principles concerning the
treatment of post-mining landscapes. The aim is to establish a common
understanding how to deal with post-mining landscape so that they can serve as a
precondition for new economic uses and gives future perspectives for people and
enterprises. The premise of the principles is a worldwide obligation for sustainable
development. This implies that in the development of post-mining landscapes, social,
economic and ecological matters must be balanced. The overall concept is the
creation of a diverse, multifunctional post-mining landscape as a condition for new
economic activities and future perspectives for people and enterprises in the region.
Sustainable rehabilitation and development thus represent an added-value investment
in the future.
1. Setting an Example
The development of a post-mining landscape must be exemplary. As a consciously
planned treatment of a cultural landscape, the development has a model character
and must contribute to the implementation of international goals and standards of
sustainable development.
2. Using Resources
The legacy of mining, land, buildings, and infrastructures are industrial-heritage
resources for a sustainable development. The preservation and re-use of typical
components creates special places that shape the look of a region and bridge the past
and the future.
3. Fostering Identity
A post-mining landscape must have its own, new characteristics. The original
landscape and the lost home cannot be reproduced. New developments must begin at
meaningful locations, with the goal of promoting identification and shaping a new
identity.
4. Broadening the Planning Horizon
The planning for a post-mining landscape must begin before mining lays claim to the
land. From the beginning, planning must represent goals for the future design and
development and must make possible new options for temporary use. Planning must
accompany mining processes and react flexibly to changing framework conditions.
5. Shaping the Process
The process of redesign must be tangible. Information, staging of changes, and
intermediate uses are important elements of the process that convey change and
provide departure points for a change of identity.
6. Allowing for Creativity and Innovation
The development of new cultural landscapes requires a vanguard and creativity,
exchange of insider and outsider perspectives, as well as open decision-making
structures. The process must be organized in such a way as to facilitate innovative
solutions and new pathways.
Seite 6 von 8

7. Generating Pictures
Pictures and outlines of a future development are important as eye-openers and
vehicles for imagining the future. Even at the beginning of the conversion process
events and constructed images are indispensable as landmarks to manifest the goals
and perspectives of development.
8. Ensuring Transparency
The development of post-mining landscapes must be open and transparent. The triad
— comprehensive participation by those who are affected, common decisionmaking,
and implementation of planning with the participating actors — must be
guaranteed in all phases of planning.
9. Building the Organizational Structure
The implementation of the planning goals must be secured by an organizational
structure that is capable of acting and sufficiently equipped with funding and
personnel. The organizational structure takes over the process management,
establishes networks, and organizes funding and promotions. The requirement for
these functions is a binding legal framework that identifies planning levels, tasks and
responsibilities.
10. Taking Responsibility
The polluter-pays principle applies to rehabilitation. The task of qualitative
development that produces added value cannot be solved on the local level alone. It
must be supported by entrepreneurial and higher-level public responsibility as well
as by cooperation among local authorities and additional partners.
The principles have been signed as a Lusatian-Charter in September 2010. This
Charter serves as a self-obligation for the stakeholders in the region to continue the
transformation process in a high quality in a laboratory, that’s unique in the world.
3. Conclusions
The project and principles of IBA demonstrate the opportunities inherent in the
rehabilitation of post-mining landscapes. It is necessary to have an overall concept,
closely connected with the endogenous potentials of the region, in combination with
an project oriented planning method. This planning method is typical for Germany.
International starting points are heterogeneous and countries have differing
opportunities for good redevelopment practice.
Despite the differences, it is generally important to develop special strategies for
each region and to involve local people, not simply to enlist a variety of forms of
cooperation, but also to shift a commitment to a civil society into the foreground.
This approach allows one to discover new ideas and potentials for regional
development and to invent new regional governance structures.
Overall the Principles for the Treatment of Post-Mining Landscapes do not represent
a universal strategy, but an important basis for being able to identify and
communicate the key qualitative demands made on redeveloping mining landscapes
in all their dimensions in future. Their value lies in their claim to set standards that
Seite 7 von 8

can be examined all over the world in the appropriate context and under different
conditions and to serve as quality standards. And, of course, they stand as a measure
of quality for Lusatia as well: the process of post-mining redesign in the region does
not end with the conclusion of IBA. For the IBA finale in 2010, the principles are to
be developed further as a »Lusatia Charter«, to be signed by those who are politically
responsible and those running the mining operation – as a self-imposed obligation for
the future.
5. References
Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land (ed.) (2005) Transforming
Landscapes. Recommendations based on three industrially disturbed landscapes in
Europe. An Italian – Polish – German project “Restructuring cultural landscapes”
REKULA (INTERREG III B Cadses). Großräschen.
Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land (ed.) (2010a) Post-Mining
Landscapes. Conference Documentation. Berlin: Jovis-Verlag.
Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) Fürst-Pückler-Land (ed.) (2010b) New
Landscape Lusatia. Catalog 2010. Berlin: Jovis-Verlag.
Scholz, Brigitte (2009) Moving Land: International Building Exhibition Fürst-
Pückler-Land 2000-2010 in Lower Lusatia. Conference „Landscape –Great Idea”
(Proceedings), Vienna.
Seite 8 von 8