FERROPOLIS

The FERROPOLIS arena is a venue for spectacular open-air concerts while the local 30 KV station, formerly an energy center, houses a museum of regional mining history. Gräfenhainichen, Golpa-Nord open pit mine: for decades this was a place of unleashed industrial forces and environmental sins, of steady jobs and outstanding achievements by the workers and engineers of the local mining industry. Then, suddenly, lignite no longer had a future. What was to be done? Should the remnants of the past be scrapped and destroyed, to leave no traces behind? Or should the region build on its past while daring to make a new start? In Golpa-Nord, a vision took shape: FERROPOLIS. The idea came from the Bauhaus Dessau.

Today, FERROPOLIS is a museum, an industrial monument, an iron work of art, an event area and a theme park, all dominated by giant machines resembling the dinosaurs of days gone by. Yet, this is a place to celebrate the present: International festivals and concerts by major stars like Herbert Grönemeyer and Metallica have given FERROPOLIS a Europe-wide reputation as a unique setting for artists and audiences. Outside of events, visitors can discover FERROPOLIS with a tour guide or on their own on listening to an interesting audio tour.