Saarland, the smallest federal state of Germany, has been heavily influenced by coal and steel as an important former mining region. The Saar region experienced a rapid economic upswing since the industrial revolution and developed into one of the largest hard coal mining areas in Europe, whose population multiplied in just a few decades, reaching a peak in the 1950s and 60s. The coal crisis of the 1960s and the steel crisis of the following decades forced the region to undergo a painful structural change. After that, coal mining in the region declined and the population steadily decreased. The coal industry was gradually wound down until it finally closed in 2012.
Industrial Challenges
In the 1960s and 1970s, coal and iron industry was replaced by new industries for the Saarland, particularly the automotive industry. Every second industrial job in the Saarland is today linked to the automotive industry. The automotive industry and the steel industry are of enormous importance for the Saar economy and currently deeply affected by the imminent transformations. Therefore, the current crisis of the automotive industry – the closure of production sites, job cuts, relocations of companies – is hitting Saarland particularly hard.
Demographic Change
The population has been on a downward trend in recent decades. This shrinking process will continue in the future. Furthermore, the population of Saarland has also the highest average age in western Germany. Population decline and aging are also linked to the fact that the Saarland is particularly struggling with structural, industrial and economic changes. Local communities face significant social, monetary, and infrastructural challenges.
Heritage and Futures in the Postmining Era
Mining has not only left a lasting mark on the landscapes and infrastructures of the Saarland, but has also profoundly shaped traditions, values and practices.
In the current post-mining era, the Saarland is reworking its pasts and futures, re-narrating its coal-mining past and at the same time trying to reinvent itself, creating visions of new futures after coal. Some former mines have been converted into important industrial heritage sites that preserve the historical legacy and act as tourist attractions, such as the “Reden Experience Site” near Schiffweiler.
While politicians and companies develop and implement new plans for the future, the project wants to highlight the perspectives, stories and ideas of the people who live there.
What are the stories that matter for the local people? What are their hopes or fears for the future? What could liveable futures in the Saarland look like? What are their ideas for reinvention and revitalization of Saarland in the post-mining era?
Together with local communities and creative practitioners, we want to develop utopian ideas about possible futures that go beyond narratives of progress or decline.
Two Communities
The project aims to explore how different generations experience these transformations in Saarland and how local people narrate the pasts and futures of their communities. The research focuses on two communities:
Schiffweiler, located in the Neunkirchen district, is home to around 15,000 residents and deeply shaped by a rich coal mining heritage. With the final closure of the nearby Reden coal mine in 1995 (which continued as the Göttelborn-Reden combined mine until 2000), an important era in the municipality’s history came to an end. The mining village of the 20th century is becoming a residential and service community that is facing significant challenges. The former mine Reden has been transformed into an “Adventure Site” for leisure, tourism, and renewable energy, a major example of post-mining regeneration in the Saarland region.
Nalbach, a municipality with around 9,000 inhabitants, is located 25 kilometers away in the district of Saarlouis, near the area where the last coal was mined in the 2000s. Numerous cases of damage to houses and mining-induced earthquakes in this area led to major protests by those affected by mining, which ultimately brought about the premature end of coal mining in 2012. Until recently, the Dillinger Hütte steelworks and the Ford plant were the most important employers for the residents of Nalbach. However, the Ford plant closed in November this year, further intensifying the current crisis of the automotive industry, while the Dillinger Hütte is attempting to switch from coal to hydrogen as part of its “green steel” project in order to remain competitive in the future.
Project Partners in the Saarland
We would like to warmly thank our local partners on site for their wonderful support!
Municipality of Nalbach, Municipality of Schiffweiler, Adventure Site Reden, Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken, and Netzwerk Freie Szene Saar e.V.
Contact the research team at Goethe University
Have you got ideas about Saarland’s future or stories about its past? We would love to hear about your experiences and ideas!
If you live or have lived in Schiffweiler or Nalbach —or in the surrounding area— and would like to share your story with us, we warmly invite you to become part of the project! Reach out to Fiona Schrading: schrading@em.uni-frankfurt.de // 0176 70304713
