Lauchhammer Bio-Towers

Monument, cultural site or event venue: The Lauchhammer Bio-Towers are a fascinating landmark, with lots of possible identities.

Castle ruins? Chimneys? Silos? Travellers are constantly amazed by the 24 clinker towers in Lauchhammer, which can be seen from afar. What a puzzling monument! It is the information panels on the spot that reveal the secret of the landmark: The towers are all that is left of what was a massive coking plant – the first of its type worldwide. The plant processed lignite into high-temperature coke which can be used to smelt iron. Today, the unique cluster, with its striking appearance, is also used for exhibitions and sometimes as an event venue. With one of the guides from the Lauchhammer local history society, you can climb one of the towers and look from the glazed viewing pulpits far across the area of the former vast coking plant.

Despite their medieval appearance: The Lauchhammer Bio-Towers are fairly recent. They date back to the 1950s, when they were constructed or the biological cleaning of the process waste water created when the coke was produced. The vast coking plant was closed in 1991 and demolished in 1994. The Bio-Towers ceased operation in 2002. Saved and refurbished before demolition, they now present the history and tales of the energy industry in the Niederlausitz region.

Tip: An audio guide about the Lauchhammer bio-towers can be listened to both on site and from home. It can be accessed via smartphone using the free Hearonymus app. In six chapters, a contemporary witness explains how the coking plant was built and how it functioned.