Central Germany, Germany

The region has the smallest lignite reserves and the smallest number of employees in the lignite industry among the remaining lignite regions in Germany. The following points sum-up the background of the case study.

1. The number of active mines have strongly decreased in the last decades;
2. Employment in the mining sector has strongly decreased in the last years;
3. Chemical industry has stabilised after a tremendous reduction in size after German reunification;
4. Emigration waves to West Germany in the past has resulted in the loss of a young cohort;