At the end of September 2015, the Göttelborn spoil tip was handed over to Industriekultur Saar GmbH (IKS) by RAG Montan Immobilien GmbH, in Sulzbach. This meant that the tip became part of the landscape at Industriekultur Nord (LIK.NORD) and was made accessible to the public.
RAG Aktiengesellschaft invested a total of 6 million € in the redevelopment of the Göttelborn spoil tip and the Kohlbachweiher. Moving almost 0,5 million m3 of earth made this measure the largest-ever undertaking at a spoil tip and a settling pond in the Saarland.
The post-mine landscape that is probably most well-known in the Saarland is the Saarkohlenwald. It extends across 6000 ha and, with a 45 km circular trail around the heap, is an attractive recreation area in which the natural landscape and industrial heritage are closely connected to one another. The LIK.NORD major conservation project ties in with the principle of “leaving space for nature”. Mining waste tips, sludge ponds, coal deposits and reservoirs form a mosaic with the semi-natural forests. These forests and sludge ponds are more or less left untended and provide opportunities for dragonflies and amphibians to thrive.
The IKS took on the area of the former Göttelborn mine back in 2003. In addition to science and teaching, an industrial park has since been established at this location, and new companies with trend-setting technologies and new products have set up business here, without the area losing the characteristics of the coal and steel industry. (RAG Montan Immobilien/Si.)
