Resettlement of Mühlrose for lignite mining

Mühlrose in the north-east of Saxony is the last place in the state to have to make way for lignite mining. The old village has not yet disappeared, but the Nochten open-cast mine is incessantly approaching. A large part of the former population has long since moved to Schleife, where resettlers have been able to build new homes in one location. On Saturday, the mining company Leag is now handing over the new village center with a community center and playground.

Neu-Mühlrose is located around seven kilometers from the old village, where, according to Leag, nine properties are currently still inhabited. The resettlement of the Trebendorf district should be completed by the end of this year. The opencast mine operator plans to have the completely cleared area available by 2029. Around 150 million tons of coal are stored under Mühlrose. Leag has so far assumed that this amount will still be needed "to supply the Boxberg power plant in particular with coal without interruption, safely and in line with demand until the end of 2038".

In a public consultation in 2017, a clear majority of the approximately 200 residents of Mühlrose decided to relocate to the neighboring community. The very complex process took years, says the mayor of Schleife, Jörg Funda (CDU). "Everyone went to great lengths - in the interests of the people," he says. People are happy to have arrived.

According to Leag, 41 plots of land were available for the settlement in Neu-Mühlrose, including the three plots in the center of the village. Construction on the 14-hectare site began in summer 2020. 30 houses are now inhabited and 2 more are almost ready for occupancy. Construction is currently underway on three plots. The topping-out ceremony for the village community center was held in October 2022. Streets in the settlement have names that are familiar from Mühlrose, such as Jagdschlossweg and Am Dorfanger.

The resettlement has already brought an influx of almost 100 people to the municipality of Schleife, which has a population of around 2,500, according to Mayor Funda. Some of those who did not want to build new homes have moved into rented accommodation not far from the local supply center. Others opted for new building land in Trebendorf and thus remained in their previous municipality. According to Leag, this affects residents of six plots of land in the old village of Mühlrose.

"Most of them wanted it the way it is happening now," says Funda about the mood among the local population. Protests by environmental activists only began when the decision to relocate had long since been made. The actions were therefore even perceived locally as disruptive.