Observation tower and exclamation marks

When a landscape has to be restored to its original state, people can reach extraordinary heights. That's what happened on the bank of the River Goitzsche. This landscape is difficult. It is difficult to report in an unbiased way about the region around Bitterfeld. That's because we think we know so much about open-cast mining, the dimensions of which extend far beyond human imagination. Gigantic holes, slag heaps. People exploited this region for decades on end. They now wish to say sorry since there's nothing left to mine.

The landscape has changed completely since the end of lignite mining. Goitzsche has become an attractive recreation area which is the envy of Bitterfeld. First the holes were flooded, and the planners then positioned a spectacular observation tower - in the middle of the water! - which can be seen from a long way away. The tower now stands in a lake and is connected to the bank by a 190-metre-long floating bridge. It stands there and reflects the depth of the water around its base. It was constructed in summer 1999 on the then still dry bed of the lake before it was flooded. Just like the lignite industry disappeared and was replaced by something new, the core of the Pegelturm (water level tower) was also to disappear as Lake Goitzsche rises and the tower floats up - that was the intention of the architects. The tower itself is 26 metres high. Its height will stay the same, although it will react like a sensor to any change in the water level. That's because the core of the Pegelturm is a 20 m long tubular steel plug which is firmly anchored into the ground. The actual tower itself stands on a floating platform made of sheet steel. Its shaft, a frame construction comprising eight vertical girders covered with perforated sheets, is only connected to the plug via slide bearings. As the lake was flooded, the tower grew out of the plug like a telescope, a process which could be followed from the bank thanks to the increasing transparency of the perforated sheets. The sheet steel stair strings are bolted to the perforated sheet shaft. Two contrarotating spiral staircases create a separate entrance and exit in the Pegelturm. When the lake was flooded, two openings were created as a passageway between the staircases. The safety of visitors is ensured by a steel net surrounding the tower.

The Pegelturm is only one of many attractions around the lake. Goitzsche has blossomed into a wonderful recreation area containing kilometre-long cycle paths, beaches for swimming, a marina, an amphitheatre and hotels. The world's largest landscape architecture project, which was even presented at EXPO 2000 in Hanover, was created on an area of 60 square kilometres. This type of land recovery benefits everyone. And at its heart is a breathtaking tower at which perforated sheets perform the task they do best, i.e. create transparency!

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