Borschemich, Former village district in Erkelenz, Germany
Borschemich was a district of Erkelenz in North Rhine-Westphalia that covered several square kilometers with deposits of sand, gravel, and coal below the surface. The area sat within a region rich in raw materials that would eventually become important for mining operations.
The settlement first appeared in records in 898 under the name Birsmiki and passed through the hands of various religious and secular rulers over the centuries. Mining operations in the 20th century led to its gradual decline and eventually forced the relocation of all residents.
The Saint Martin Church, constructed between 1906 and 1907, featured Gothic Revival architecture with a three-story bell tower reaching 35 meters high.
The area today shows mainly the landscape shaped by mining activity, since all residents had completed relocation by 2017. Visiting requires an understanding of the region's open-pit mining history and its effects on the land.
Archaeological digs in 2013 uncovered the remains of a Roman villa and several ancient burial sites in the area. These discoveries show that the land had been occupied and used as far back as Roman times.
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