The coal deposits,from which the mining industry profited for
many years originated circa 22 million years ago.But not until 1839 the
opencast mining began by using steam engines on the hill Pomselberg.The
first briquette factory was built in 1872 near the opencast mines "Antonie"and
"Luise",so it was 36 years before the first opencast mine was created
with the installation of Holzweißig-East in the large area of the
Goitzsche.
In 1915 the extraction became easier because of mechanization of the
coal mining by using electric spoon excavators.The mining area extended
up to the area of Delitzsch with the development of the opencast mine "Paupitzsch"
seven years later.In the period from 1948 till 1951 it came to the total
development in the area of today´s Goitzsche.In this time there was
both the beginning of the extraction in the opencast mine "Goitzsche" in
1949, Holzweißig-West in 1950 and also in the area of Muldenstein
in 1951.In 1949 large parts of the brown coal businesses were transferred
into national property.In 1960 there closed the opencast mine "Holzweißig-East"
because the brown coal deposits were used up.
As a result of opencast-mining villages or parts of them had to be resettled
or they disappeared completely,like Niemegk and Döbern in the
70s.
In 1975 they changed the riverbed of the Mulde because of the total
exploitation of the deposits.The following year,they started flooding the
today´s known "Muldestausee"(Mulde Dam) after shutting down the opencast-mine
"Muldenstein".At the beginning of the 80s, the BKK (National-owned Brown
Coal-company Bitterfeld) developed and until 1991 the last two big opencast-mines,
"Holzweißig-West"and"Goitzsche", were closed down.Within the 80 years
of mining in Bitterfeld altogether 508 million tons of raw coal has been
produced and 1,275 billion m3 soil has been moved.The development
of the opencast mine "Goitzsche" stretched towards the "Zöckerritzer
Liegendrückens".
The further mining was characterized by the overexcavation of the "Paupitzscher
Senke", of the "Bärenholzrücken"and the "Döbener Flözaufspaltungsgabel".The
main customer of the raw coal was the briquette factory of Bitterfeld,
power station Zschornewitz and Vockerrode and the industrial power stations
of the chemistry in Bitterfeld and Wolfen.
Altogether 5 villages (Paupitzsch, Niemegk, Döbern, Seelhausen)
and parts of Petersroda had been resettled.
Results of the brown coal extraction:
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To tap the brown coal deposits of the "Goitzsche"the Mulde flowing in a
north direction had to be diverted by 9.2 km.
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Therefore the "Muldestausee" (Mulde Dam) with its 6 km2 has
been developed.
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Within the scope of using for mining before flooding the Lober-Leine-Canal
was installed.
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Because of the coal extraction the B100,B183 and B184 (federal highways)
had been moved.
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Changing of the railway line between Bitterfeld and Delitzsch.
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