Around Borken, 40 km south of Kassel, there is an unusual museum and lake landscape. In the midst of the post-mining landscape of what was once the most important lignite mining area in Hesse, the Hessian Lignite Mining Museum shows how coal was extracted as a raw material and used to generate energy. The lignite deposits from the Tertiary period were first discovered in 1868 and were economically very important for the region until the recent past. Since the 1920s, some 59 million tons of coal have been mined in eleven open pits and six underground mines and burned in the Borken lignite-fired power plant to generate electricity. After a serious mining accident with 51 fatalities, coal mining and power plant operations were discontinued in the early 1990s.
Under the motto "Insights instead of mining lignite", the Hessian Lignite Mining Museum in Borken cordially invites you! For children, there are special play and experiment areas where they can generate, dredge or pump energy themselves.
For more info, visit the museum's homepage.