Stained glass windows tell Berga mining history

 The stained glass windows telling the history of mining.
Close: mining tradition ensures bismuth association with information plaque on the former night sanatorium in Berga for special notepad in the historical memory of the people.
Berga. A night sanatorium - what is that? Especially younger ones should such a health care institution in the hill on which was active in the region miners built, but also in heavy industry have been common, is not to be familiar. In the magpie city is dominated by the former health facility, which was launched in October 1956 by the bismuth in operation since 1975 and used until the turn as a holiday home in the now landmarked since 1996 bismuth settlement.

In the past, many artists also met for Plenair here. Of the 3,500 works of art in bismuth property caused over 200 here know how Klaus Hinke and Frederick W. Thie of bismuth-traditional club. The men see themselves as guardians of historical documents that tell of the surface mining history. Yesterday they had obtained on stormy wet-to Berga pre christmas wheather to inaugurate the night sanatorium an information board.

And make like a special treasure in the building carefully. As Klaus Hinke, Chairman of the Association for the promotion, preservation and study of the traditions of the Saxon / Thuringian uranium mining reports, "with the night sanatorium a beautiful stained glass window with mining themes emerged in the stairwell, the motives are related to the silver, ore and coal mining .

In addition to the town hall of the mountain town of Freiberg (silver mining) are representations of the shaft support and the cable ride from the Agricola-time - 1556 - Year of "De Re Metallica" and "modern" mining 400 years later (1956) to see. Seemingly unknown or forgotten were the creators of stained glass window. At least the people I interviewed in Berga, Greiz or at the bismuth could give no answer. In the end I found the name yet, you have to bend down to him to discover at the bottom edge - PINX: Lisa Beyer Jatzlau. Finish: stained glass A. Lange, Plauen.

In Plauen, I could not find it, but with the painter Lisa Beyer Jatzlau, living in Ulm, I could speak. She was born in 1923, was in 1956 ie 33 years old. She has left the GDR in 1957, so it's no wonder that her name not known. "

Klaus Hinke sent photos of the artist, and she responded: ".. I'm glad to get that glass windows remained and will continue to be protected, and even more are listed stained glass windows, except one in a church, I have not worked" Ms. Beyer-Jatzlau is 88 years old. Only in July, she exhibited in the Künstlerhaus Ulm.

Of course, the stained glass window by arrangement with Helmut Müller can, Managing Director of the Housing Corporation, which has its headquarters here, will be visited. Spacious 41 apartments created where once some 80 guest rooms for tourists as well as swimming pool, sauna, bowling alley and dance hall were ready. Mayor Stephan Büttner (Free Voters) is happy that the big house is used again and welcomes the work of the mining tradition of the association. Berga is incidentally one of seven night lodges.


Partial whole brigades were sent to the non-working shifts for two weeks. The screening consisted mainly of physical therapy activities outside working hours. In addition, there were opportunities for athletic or artistic activity. Brigades used the residence in order to "fast-jacking" or similar high-power projects, the brigade members for defined periods to accommodate concentrated.

Margitta and Klaus Maruszczak from Berga pleased with the information board at night sanatorium. "It's very nice that such witnesses will remain at the mining history. Finally, later generations will learn why this settlement was built here," are convinced the couple. While it was long active in the night sanatorium, her husband worked in the pit, twelve years of it underground.

Time testimony concept of the traditional club
First Street culture of the mining industry with over 30 time stations report on mining and remediation history, including seven stations, which are reminiscent of the partially or completely vanished villages.

Second Exhibition on the history of uranium mining - bismuth object 90 / New Landscape Ronneburg

Third Mine on the bow tie and Technical monument Hall / technology park slot 407 in Ronneburg

4th Walk-map "Schmirchauer height", the tailings above the Lichtenberg surface mining, is built on the present, a 20-meter high "Grub narrow light." The first five meters are already visible.

When surface mining can provide enough clean energy

Aachen. Talks on a lignite-mining usually come at some point to a
point where the periods in many decades, amounts in millions of cubic
meters and sizes are shown in thousands of hectares. Dimensions thus
leading to the edge of your imagination and beyond.

For Christian Rinkens begins at this point the work. Decades, cubic
meters, hectares: for they are no more than Rinkens basis of
calculation. Numbers are being counted in formulas.

Rinkens, 18, visits the Inda-Gymnasium in Aachen Kornelimünster as
advanced courses he has chosen math and Dutch, and about a year ago,
he has begun to plan the future of the mining town of Hambach.

The Hambach opencast mine is situated between Jülich and Elsdorf
Erftkreis in the mining area is 85 square kilometers, 2.5 billion
tonnes of brown coal operator suspects that RWE Power AG, in the soil.
Transported to the days they are of the largest excavators which are
in the world. By 2045 this will go like this. As long as it will
probably take until RWE has brought the whole coal from the earth.

There are different ideas about what should then happen to the open
pit. RWE plans to fill the hole with water. That would take decades
and in the end would be one of the largest and deepest lakes in
Germany arose.

Rinkens plans with two lakes, one large and one small. And unlike RWE
he wants to use the area of ​​the mine Hambach continue to produce
energy. Even then, when the last coal was removed long ago.

Rinkens want in the open pit area, a pump storage power plant (see
box), build a project that sounds ambitious, particularly of course if
it is brought by a 18-year-olds. But Rinkens project is more than an
obsession, he has planned the whole thing within its means in detail.
This becomes clear when he clicks on the laptop through the pumped
storage power plant presentation, occasionally he looks every now and
then hold your mouse on the cable, which he kneaded between the
fingers.

It is the presentation, the "Young Scientist", he also people from
the competition has shown, in which he only just at the first place,
failed to present with whom he won the federal environmental contest
an award, combined with a mandate to expand the work further. On the
first slide is a bit of "improvement and increased use of renewable
energies" and the "invention of new, environmentally friendly
technologies," the speech. If you ask Rinkens why he has planned a
pumped storage power plant, he says: "It's about the question of how
we meet our energy needs in the future. I want more because you think
about it, more research, more investment. "

It is no coincidence that Rinkens opted for the Hambach mine. The
selection was quite large, the area in which he is called, not without
reason Rhenish lignite mining area. But the Hambach mine has a unique
feature that makes it ideal in Rinkens eyes for the construction of a
pumped storage power plant: the height of Sophie. The small hill was
filled with earth, which was dredged away in another place, to get at
the coal. Rinkens wanted to build the upper reservoir of its first
power plant to the highest point of Sophie height because it the
biggest drop height and the largest current efficiency is achieved.

From this idea has become now a variant, Rinkens has ever thought
about the height and Sophie came to the conclusion that it would be
against such a large operation at this point probably considerable
resistance. Finally, the amount Sophie has been a popular destination,
about 90 percent of its area is forested.

In the variant, the Rinkens now calls his favorite, the upper basin
lies with his pelvis volume of 25 million cubic meters of water is not
quite as high, but it is probably socially acceptable. The head of
water and the current yield is smaller, the chances of realizing
greater.

At RWE but they are still considered very low, even though company
spokesman Manfred Lang with the pumped storage power plant in Hambach
a "great idea" and called indicating that you Rinkens not think any
"spinner". Especially the storage power plants would take over a
leading role in energy supply in the future, "not for nothing that we
have already some of them," says Lang.

Not least, such a project at the end is not always a matter of
economics, business grants are also welcome at RWE. Lang also has the
"geology" out of an surface mine.

What he means white Rinkens. He also sees the geology as the biggest
challenge: "You do not know how the ground behaves when such an
enormous pressure on him." So far, pumped storage power stations were
usually built in mountainous areas, there is where the ground of solid
stone. The plan to build one of these in a former mining area, is new.
Rinkens Christian says: "So something has simply never done." It does
not sound as if it would discourage that.

Gau-Algesheim opencast mining rejected in Laurenziberg

(coha). From nature protection law reasons the company Gaul GmbH
approval of the chief operating plan for the silica sand mining
Laurenziberg are not granted. "Then the city Gau-Algesheim notes in
its opinion on an application from Gaul for approval of a major
operation plan.

As a reason calls the city, represented by attorney Andrew Dazert, the
situation in the bird sanctuary "Hilbersheimer upper plateau." An
impact of the mining project with the strict requirements of the
hereafter which engages nature protection law was not given, contrary
to the applicant site. As a result of this habitat protection differs
from a permit from the outset.

Hand in hand with the City of Bingen

In addition, the city of Gau-Algesheim - like the city of Bingen in
her opinion - pointed out that a wrong approval process will operate.
The two cities operate hand in hand.

"Because the mining project is located in the bird sanctuary, the
mining authorities require a basic operating plan and raise finance
for its approval a plan approval procedure," city mayor Dieter Faust
explained to our newspaper. An environmental impact assessment is
therefore essential.

In addition, Faust announces that it wants to undergo the examination
of a natural compatibility presented expert peer review.

Mayor Faust does not want to give up

"If, contrary to the alleged procedural and conservation concerns, the
licensing authority grant the request of the applicant site, we will
refer the matter to the European Commission, Directorate General
Environment to submit, for legal review," makes fist clear that the
city will not give up so easily.

The mining industry firmly in mind

In the small Asacasi expect the farmers to keep his campaign promise
Ollanta Humala

Asacasi electrification in a community (source)

This article appears in the upcoming issue of the Latin American News (LN 450).

After the elections in Peru, from which the left-nationalist Ollanta
Humala has emerged as the winner, the expectations are high on the
country. From there he was expecting the majority of its votes and the
people that he is - as promised during the campaign - uses for their
rights and defend them against large corporations. Asacasi threatened,
a small village whose livelihood through a copper mining project is to
meet the residents, the first preventive measures to defend themselves
against the Swiss group Xstrata.

The road is more than bad. It would require many people, heavy
machinery and several weeks of hard work to bring them once in a bad
state. Without warning, the asphalt ends after just twenty minutes
outside of Cuzco, the tourist town, with its five-star hotels and
sushi restaurants. And, although my goal, the city Tambobamba, not
some forgotten place in the no man's land. Tambobamba is the capital
of the province Cotabambas and is just a few hours drive away from the
massive Las Bambas copper project, which is currently under
construction.

Usually benefits the cities that lie along roads to mining projects,
of a reasonable road connections - especially if it is the road to the
provincial capital. Not so Tambobamba. The workers of the mining
company to be flown in by helicopter and the street remains in a
miserable condition. The project includes Las Bambas Xstrata. The
company, based in Switzerland wants to avoid the removal of the
extracted copper ore in open pit mining on the road, and plans a
215-kilometer pipeline to an adjacent region. In three years, to begin
with copper mining. Xstrata expects an annual production of 400,000
tons. This would increase the total copper production in the country
by 30 percent. Peru is currently the world's second largest producer
of important industrial metal.

But in the past, because Las Bambas protests from local communities
who are concerned about possible contamination of the environment and
say that they have not yet received the promised benefits from the
project often. Xstrata in 2008 condemned the Peruvian government for
the prohibited discharge of toxic substances into the environment
during exploration drilling of a nearby community. This news caused
fear among the peasant communities of the province, who live mainly
from subsistence agriculture.

In May of this year, said the district located not far from Las Bambas
Chalhuahuacho a strike against the mine - the company had to evacuate
personnel and equipment. Peasant leaders have complained that only
benefit communities that are close to the mine, and this required more
development projects for the entire region. An agreement between
Xstrata and the peasant leader, was reached in June, ended the strike.
Since then, events have on the national level, the region brought a
tense calm - a pause full of expectations, which is felt in many
places in Peru with conflictive mining projects. The previous
government of Alan García faced a growing number of social conflicts
over - there were a total of 246 after the reports of the Peruvian
ombudsman for human rights in the last year. One half of them are
environmental conflicts as a result of the activities of the
extractive industry sector, oil, ores, natural gas and wood wins or
breaks down.

The widespread dissatisfaction with conservative politicians in
indigenous communities and farmers brought in July this year, Ollanta
Humala - a left-wing nationalists - to the presidency. Now wait his
supporters that he begins the promised social transformation. But in
many parts of the country, people are less patient.

A conflict broke out in late September in Tacna near the Chilean
border. The local people tried to get into a public hearing for the
expansion of a mine for the U.S. company Southern Copper and was
stopped by force by the police. Regional quotation threatened to
strike. In early October Humala government was forced to stop the
public hearings. The people swore that they would protest as long, be
called off until the extension of the project. At the other end of the
country in the northern Andes of Cajamarca, another conflict is
brewing: Between farmers and the company Yanacocha, Latin America
operates the largest gold mine.

Farming communities to protest against the plan of the company, a
sacred mountain and destroy important water sources. The regional
government has declared a protected zone Quilish mountain, but the
U.S. company Newmont Mining as a majority shareholder of Yanacocha
will proceed with the project.

At the end of my exhausting tour, in the small village with just 400
inhabitants Asacasi, slightly outside of Tambobamba, have concerns
over the mining Las Bambas the subject of everyday conversation
developed. The village has just won a prize for the best management of
its water resources, the Centro Bartolome de las Casas (CBC), a
nongovernmental organization from Cuzco is awarded, which works with
marginalized local communities in the Andean region. The price is to
convey to the residents in a training workshop, the knowledge to turn
their own film. I was the leader of this workshop to Asacasi.

The CBC wants the community in the film focuses on their successful
water management plan: a new reservoir, a system for chlorination of
water and a garbage dump, to keep the water clean. But as much as I
try to keep the people at issue - the threat of sneaking through the
open pit itself into every scene. The group decides to start shooting
in a crystal clear river that flows beneath her village in the shadow
of a high mountain. Despite dry season the river is full of trout.
Cuñas Estanislao, President of the Water Committee of Asacasi leads us
to a shallow part of the river and fished out with your bare hands
half a dozen trout. Although he has never made a film that seems to be
Estanislao a born director. He caught the heaviest trout, he can find,
and tells the cameraman to film him with the river in the background.

"The people in the city often think we know that farmers do not know
how to protect the environment," says Estanislao, "but we show them
that they are wrong." People from outside are their biggest threat, he
continues, and expresses concern that Las Bambas will pollute the
environment when mining first start in the copper production. And Las
Bambas is just the beginning. More than 54 percent of the Apurimac
region, located in the Asacasi are licensed for mining.

Like the majority in the region, the people continue to live in
Asacasi the country. It is famous Peruvian Altiplano region, a plateau
at more than 4,000 meters above sea level in the Andes. At first
glance, the surroundings seem barren and desolate - there are no
trees, only large, thorn-like growths, mountain grass and low bush
vegetation. Asacasi lies on a flat, long-range plane, which is
surrounded by majestic mountains, with sharp, rugged rock. The horizon
can be see from any direction - it's a perfect, endless expanse,
undisturbed by buildings or vegetation.

The nutritional basis of the villagers would shame any North American
from movements and groups that use locally produced food for
themselves. Everything is produced in the village: potatoes and herbs
are ground, the eggs, chicken, cheese and milk the cows, meat comes
from the guinea pig, sheep and alpacas and of course fish, shrimp and
frogs from the river. For lunch, we are invited by Gregorio Tarapaqui,
the Secretary of the water committees of Asacasi. The Film Workshop,
he is an excellent cameraman. Gregory brings a large bowl filled with
steaming potatoes and makes them averse to my feet. In Peru, there are
thousands of potato varieties in various colors, flavors and
appearance. We eat small round potatoes with a creamy center and
larger oval, which are white inside and have a dark crispy shell.

The main dish is trout soup. The fish were caught while filming in the
morning. "What do we do when our fish disappearing," asks Gregorio.
"Now we have enough to feed the whole village, we do not have to
ration or control the catch." Peasant and indigenous communities hope
that a new law that was adopted by the government of Ollanta Humala,
gives them the opportunity to to decide whether they want mining, oil
and gas projects on their land. It is the law on prior consultation,
must be questioned on the basis of local communities, before companies
can launch mega projects. Among the farming communities are already
high expectations to the new law, but many analyst are more cautious
when assessing its potential impact.

Father Marco Arana, a sociologist with 20 years experience in
defending the rights of peasant communities against mining companies,
said that much would depend on the subordinate legislation, which must
first be written. These regulations will be crucial for how the
consultation Act is implemented. If the local communities can then
hold a formal referendum, before new licenses will be awarded for
their country? Or will the company be required only to achieve the
consent of the local leaders? If consent is to be at all necessary, or
will the company need only consult the people, but ultimately without
requiring their consent?

The consultation has provoked fears of law in the circles of the
mining proponents. Father Arana has been attacked recently, when he
traveled to Huancabamba, in Peru's northern Andes mountains on the
border with Ecuador. His visit was the celebration of the anniversary
of one of the first referendum on mining. The local population spoke
out in September of 2007 to more than 90 percent against mining
projects in their region. The car, with Marco Arana was on his way to
Huancabamba stopped by several people who told him they wanted to
"development" and are as compared to alternative agriculture. After a
brief conversation could continue Arana - 30 minutes later the car but
was pelted with stones and fired upon by unknown persons with live
ammunition.

Such anger is Marco Arana does not foreign. A few years ago he stood
in the center of a massive espionage operation called "Operation
Devil". Each of his steps over a period photograph of three months and
filmed. He and his colleagues have received death threats over the
phone. Esmundo Becerra, a friend of Father Arana Bauer and committed
environmental activist from the province of Cajamarca, who led the
fight against the expansion of a mining project, was killed early
November 2006.

The persecution and threats frightened Arana. Nevertheless, he began
to develop his staff and a plan to spy on the spies - they took
pictures of her pursuers and filmed them. Arana finally managed to
catch one of the spies, and subsequently to enter into possession of
hundreds of copies of reports, photographs and video footage. This
material became the core of the documentary "Operación Diablo"
(Devil's surgery), I turned with Arana and environmental activist.

We showed the film in Asacasi to give the residents the importance it
can have when they use their new camera, and acquired the skills to
document human rights abuses. After the performance, said the mayor of
the village, Juan Limaypuma, he hoped that the new consultation law
would put an end to mining conflicts. He said Humala's government to
respect her to the of Peru at the United Nations and the International
Labour Organization (ILO) ratified international conventions that
protect the rights of indigenous groups. Limaypuma said that the
negative effects of global climate change, such as water shortages are
already being felt to he feared that new mining projects will bring
more pollution.

Asacasi may be isolated, but the people there know what is happening
around them and at the national level. An overwhelming majority of the
population voted in Peru's southern Andes region for Humala, and they
now expect that he fulfilled his campaign promise to accommodate their
needs and rights in a democratic Peru, in which they are involved.
Humala should fail, the whole social conflicts that have been left by
the Vorregierung under Alan Garcia may reappear. A simple announcement
on the radio by regional leaders can bring thousands of farmers from
nearby villages as isolated Asacasi into action to block streets,
close to airports or to cripple the country economically. Great
promise to produce high expectations and peasant communities in Peru
will not wait until they start seeing results. Time is against Ollanta
Humala.

surface mining

Find out more about surface mining with the information we are going to place here