F60 – the ‘horizontal Eiffel Tower’

The F60 overburden conveyor bridge is definitely a sight worth seeing. If you want to learn more about the history of opencast mining in Lusatia, and about the technologies used, the industrial heritage and the changes the landscape underwent, then the visitor mine is just the ticket.

With a monstrous rattle and metallic squeal, the huge machine once pushed its way through the landscape near Lichterfeld and, with the help of two bucket-chain excavators, slowly cleared the path to the lignite, the ‘Lusatian gold’. The steel colossus has now been decommissioned, but is more exciting than ever. Thousands of visitors climb the giant every year and are amazed by its sheer size: at 502 metres long, 204 metres wide and weighing in at more than 11,000 tonnes, the F60 is also known as the ‘horizontal Eiffel Tower’.

On a guided tour, visitors can feel the wind on their face at a height of almost 80 meters, take a peek into the control centre and the computer building, and, at night, experience the way the bridge becomes a sculpture of light and sound. Adventurous types can even abseil down from a height of 60 metres. The land that was once ravaged by this colossal machine is now hidden beneath Lake Bergheide. And this burgeoning leisure destination is now creating its own superlatives: the new lake boasts the longest and widest sand beach in the Lusatian Lakeland.

A gargantuan steel backdrop

The sky above the F60 glitters, and colourful sparks envelop the steel giant as thousands of people gather below to look on. The crowd ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ in amazement at the marvellous composition of light, colours, booms and bangs. But the F60 visitor mine in Lichterfeld offers much more than just spectacular fireworks displays. The steel colossus has established itself as an unusual backdrop for all manner of events. Over the years, artists such as Max Raabe, Semino Rossi, Ray Wilson – formerly of Genesis – and rock bands City and Silly have all played at the foot of the massive machine. Every year, visitors can look forward to a wide range of cultural events, from open-air concerts, festivals and exhibitions to shows against the huge steel backdrop of the former mining giant.