The Bergheider See, south of Finsterwalde near Lichterfeld in the county of Elbe-Elster in Germany, is a flooded pit from the former open cast mine of Klettwitz-Nord, northeast of the Lower Lusatian Heath. The lake was named after the old village of Bergheide, which had to be abandoned for the brown coal pit.

Bergheider See
Bergheider See (2015)
Bergheider See is located in Brandenburg
Bergheider See
Bergheider See
Bergheider See is located in Germany
Bergheider See
Bergheider See
LocationElbe-Elster, Germany
Coordinates51°34′17″N 13°47′24″E / 51.57139°N 13.79000°E / 51.57139; 13.79000
Part ofLusatian Lake District
First floodedSeptember 2001 (2001-09) - May 2014 (2014-05)
Surface area320 ha (3.2 km2; 1.2 sq mi)

The flooding of the pit, under the direction of the LMBV company in charge of dealing with the consequences of lignite mining, began in September 2001 and ended in May 2014.[1][2] The lake is part of the Lusatian Lake District, but is isolated from the Lusatian Lake Chain as it is 20 km (12 mi) away from the waterways linking the other lakes. The Bergheider See has a surface area of about 320 ha (3.2 km2; 1.2 sq mi). On the Lichterfeld shore (north shore) are bathing facilities.[3] The other shores have been designated as Nature Preserves. There are also restricted areas belonging to the LMBV (Lausitzer Mitteldeutsche Bergbau Verwaltungsgesellschaft = Lusatian Central German Mining Administration Company).[citation needed]

In 2002, the F60 Visitor Mine opened on the northern shore of the lake. The show mine has the largest movable piece of mining equipment in the world, 502 m (1,647 ft) long. It has been made accessible for visitors. At the top it is 75 m (246 ft) above the bottom. Together with the show mine, the lake is being converted into a recreation area with floating houses, a water sports centre and a holiday home park. The terrain is being used to stage events. The starting project for the scheme was the International Construction Exhibition of Prince Pückler Land from 2000 to 2010.[citation needed]

The newly renovated Landstraße L 60 from Lichterfeld to Lauchhammer, which runs past the Bergheider See, was closed in summer 2010 but reopened in December 2015.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Flutungstände auf www.lmbv.de retrieved 29 March 2015
  2. ^ "Flutungsstand Brandenburgische Lausitz - LMBV". www.lmbv.de (in German). Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  3. ^ Lausitzer Rundschau. "Erstmals Baden im Bergheider See beim Lichterfelder Festival". www.lr-online.de (in German). Retrieved 2016-11-20.
  4. ^ Lausitzer Rundschau. "Durststrecke vorbei: Über die L 60 wieder flott zur F 60". www.lr-online.de (in German). Retrieved 2016-11-20.
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