From the open -cast mine to the natural paradise: Bernd Pache remembers his time

From the open -cast mine to the natural paradise: Bernd Pache remembers his time

in Delitzsch, where the hustle and bustle in the open -cast mine once ruled, Bernd Pache, 66, unpacks his memories. On a small trail along Lake Werbelin, he begins to tell about the changes in recent decades. "When I started in 1976, there were only fields and provisional barracks here," indulged the former miner in Nostalgia while the sun shines the autumn colors around it.

The history of the open-cast mine in Delitzsch-Südwest is one of destruction and renovation. Bernd Pache was there from the start and experienced up close how villages such as Werbelin, Grabschütz and Kattersnaundorf fell victim to the huge machines. "With four apprentices I started as a maintenance mechanic," he says, describing how he pulled trenches and bored wells. The open -cast mine as the heart of the region became the center of his life. His experiences are rich in challenges-such as the dramatic fire of the 110 kV station, which meant a hour of fate.

The shock of the sudden end

But as life often plays, the open -cast mine ended in 1993 abruptly for pache. Suddenly he received the news that his job was gone - a termination that caught him cold. "It was a big shock," he admits. Even if he later changed professionally, the longing for work remained in the opencast mine. The change in looking, the former excavator hole has now turned into a popular natural lake that is populated by swimmers and hikers in summer.

"I realized how great this will be here," says Pache proudly, looking at the former excavation that is now a protected nature. "I still dream of mining today," he admits, and gives the past to life in his thoughts. Nevertheless, he sees the negative consequences of the open -cast mine with a critical look. The ecological destruction, the functioning of the technology, all of this still pursues it today. "You should have acted better with a conclusive planning," he says, while his gaze wanders over the lake, which is now a symbol of transformation and hope.