Abschied von Mühlrose, 2024
The short documentary “Farewall to Mühlrose” tells the story of the last village to be destroyed before Germany’s official coal phase-out. Enrico Kliemann, a blogger raised in the East German village, shares his impressions growing up in the vicinity of the ever-present open-cast mine.
For decades, lignite was a reliable energy supplier for Germany, providing jobs - but also demolishing entire towns and devastating landscapes. Without a doubt, mining was the economic driving force of the rural border region Lusatia, home to the Sorbian minority.
In the last 50 years, 136 predominantly Sorbian towns were destroyed for coal, causing impact in language and cultural preservation. But the current economic upheaval is also an opportunity to look back at their roots.
“Farewall to Mühlrose” is a brief moment of reflection about what was lost and what is yet to come.