The F60 conveyor bridge, the world’s largest movable machine, has shaped Germany’s coal regions for decades. Built to expose deep lignite seams, the steel giant once symbolized industrial power in the former East Germany.

Today, only a handful of open‑pit mines remain, and the era of massive conveyor bridges is drawing to a close. While one F60 continues to move thousands of tons of earth each hour, others have already been decommissioned or turned into museums as Germany shifts from coal to renewable energy. With the first of the five F60s recently demolished, workers and former miners reflect on the engineering legacy—and the fading landscapes these machines once carved.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.