The Schwarze Pumpe industrial site has shaped Lusatia for seven decades. To mark its 70th anniversary, the site in Spremberg is opening its doors to the public this weekend (August 30), as announced by the industrial park. Over 20 companies are inviting visitors to take a look at their work, technology and future plans.
What began in 1955 with the construction of a coal refining combine developed into one of the largest industrial complexes in the GDR. Today, the industrial park has more than 120 companies and around 5,000 employees.
According to tradition, the name "Schwarze Pumpe" goes back to the time of the Thirty Years' War, according to Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (Leag). According to the story, inhabitants of a Slavic settlement painted the pump of their inn black - a symbol of the plague at the time - to scare off marauding Swedes. The invaders then moved on, and the unusual name has remained to this day.
