What does it take to turn a former coal mine into a green festival haven?
Image: DW/R. Krause
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There are few places in the world where you can party next to huge steel excavators on top of an old coal-pit. But in the iron city of Ferropolis you can dance the night away in a setting with almost 100 years of industrial heritage. Once a location synonymous with industrial power and environmental disaster, Ferropolis is now a festival haven.
But how did this all happen? Coal mining has a long tradition in Germany. For decades, Gräfenhainichen in the German state of Saxon-Anhalt was a brown coal mining area. In the 1960s, the site became the center of the brown coal open mine "Golpa-Nord." Until the 1990s, 100 million tons of emissions-heavy soft coal were extracted at the "Golpa-Nord" mine each year. But when the mining operation stopped, the land was transformed into an open air museum and a festival area. This green festival area, called Ferropolis, is now a major attraction.
Coal-pit partying: Festivals in the iron city
The site of Ferropolis - once an environmental disaster - is now a solar-powered festival haven where you can party next to huge steel excavators on top of an old coal pit. Our two DW climate roadtrippers checked it out.
Image: DW/R. Krause
Dancing the night away
There are few places in the world where you can party next to huge steel excavators on top of an old coal-pit. But for the past decade or so in the iron city of Ferropolis, near Dessau in eastern Germany, festival-goers have been doing just that. The pit opens to dancers for Germany's largest hip hop festival Splash! and the electronic and indie festial Melt!
Image: DW/A. S. Brändlin
Brown coal boom
But Ferropolis wasn't always the festival haven it is now. For decades, Gräfenhainichen in the German state of Saxon-Anhalt was a brown coal mining region. In the 1960s, the site became the center of the brown coal open pit mine Golpa-Nord.
Image: DW/A. S. Brändlin
Environmental destruction
Golpa-Nord was a location synonymous with industrial power and environmental disaster. At its peak, there were 20 open mines with 60,000 workers extracting at least 100 million tons of coal every year. The site remained open until 1990.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ZB/W. Grubitzsch
Living museum
By the beginning of the 1990s, all of the brown coal was gone and the massive equipment was headed for the scrapyard. But former mine workers decided to save five of the steel giants as a reminder of the area's industrial history. Their vision became what is now the iron city of Ferropolis.
Image: DW/A. S. Brändlin
Splash! a little and then Melt!
Just picture yourself in front of these steel behemoths, which tower over the festival stages like dinosaurs from a past era. Each of the five disused bucket wheel excavators is 130 meters long and 30 meters high. Taken together, they weigh 7,000 tons.
Image: DW/A. S. Brändlin
Green stage, green festival
When the main act, German rapper Marsimoto, started playing on Friday night at Splash! 2015, the entire stage was lit up green - a fitting tribute to this environmentally friendly festival. Around 70 percent of the festival's energy comes directly from solar - and with its elaborate sound and light systems, that's pretty impressive!
Image: DW/R. Krause
Green festival-goers
Not just the festival itself is green; so are its visitors. The 25,000 festival guests are encouraged to arrive by train, not by car. A "green campsite" plus vegan and regional food are helping pave the way to an even greener festival future.
Image: DW/R. Krause
Fossil past, positive future
Ferropolis CEO Thies Schröder describes turning a former coal mining area into a modern, creative and green festival venue as one way of dealing with Germany's industrial past in a positive way. "It proves that we have moved on from a fossil past and are more environmentally aware now."
Image: DW/R. Krause
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Ferropolis hosts Germany's largest hip hop festival "Splash!" as well as electronic and indie music festival "Melt!"
Thies Schröder, the CEO of Ferropolis, has devised a strategy to make the festivals as environmentally friendly as possible. Up to 70 percent of the energy used at the festivals here comes directly from solar. The up to 25,000 festival guests are encouraged to arrive by train rather than car. And a "green campsite," plus vegan and regional food, are helping pave the way to a greener festival future.
Thies says turning a former coal mining area into a modern, creative and green festival area is a great way of dealing with Germany's industrial history in a positive way. " It proves that we have moved on from a fossil past, and are more environmentally aware now."
Five giant excavators tower over the festival stages like dinosaurs from a past era. The festival-goers love the scenery - they tell us it's the location that makes the festival so special.
Thies not only makes the festivals green. He is also the head of a new group called the "Energieavantgarde" (energy avant-garde), which is currently trying to revolutionize the energy supply for the entire Dessau-Rosslau region, with its 400,000 inhabitants.
Their goal: to create renewables-based, decentralized and climate-friendly energy infrastructure. Quite a task! But with Ferropolis, they are off to a strong start.
