Hambach surface mine, Surface lignite mine in Düren, Germany
Hambach is a surface lignite mine located in the Rhineland mining region between Düren and Rhein-Erft districts. The pit spans roughly 30 square kilometers and reaches depths of more than 400 meters (1,300 feet) below sea level in some sections.
Work began in 1978 after the site received clearance for excavation. Over the following decades, several villages were relocated to make room for the expanding extraction area.
The mine takes its name from the nearby Hambach Forest, whose remaining sections have become the focus of public debates about energy and land use. Visitors today encounter a landscape altered by excavation, where only small forest patches recall the original woodland.
A viewing point at the edge allows visitors to observe the pit and the giant bucket-wheel excavators from a safe distance. Access follows marked routes, and close approach to the active extraction zone is not possible.
After extraction ends around 2030, the pit will be filled with Rhine water to form one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe. Flooding will take several decades because of the enormous volume of excavated material.
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